WHEN even the bad shots are good, it is time to celebrate. Ben Curtis was 165 yards from the third green when he plucked a nine iron from his caddie’s hand, chunked it downwind and was so displeased with the contact that he turned away in disgust.

“I had a little uphill lie, ball below my feet, and I heeled it a bit,” he said. “I thought it was going in the front right bunker.”

The crowd knew better. As the 2003 Open champion ambled forward a few paces, their response grew in volume until an explosion of noise around the green informed him that something had happened. His ball had dropped into the hole for an eagle two. If truth be told, it was more or less an accident.

“That’s the one I’ve been fighting, the one to the right with the ball below my feet. I thought I had hit another one, but I got lucky and maybe hit it better than I thought,” he said.

It was the undoubted highlight of an eventful round for the 31-year-old American who rode his luck with a series of stray shots, made up for them with his putter and eventually escaped with a 70 that put him on seven over for the tournament, leaving him with an outside chance of repeating his 2003 feat today.

In the circumstances it was a monumental achievement, albeit not in the same league as his final round at Royal St George’s five years ago. That was when the world No 396, playing in his first major, emerged from nowhere to lift the Claret Jug.

“It’s not nearly the same,” he said. “To deal with the pressure and to play the way I did in my first major, that will always be the best round I have played.You might have better ball-striking days or a better scoring day, but as far as dealing with everything goes, there isn’t much can beat that.”

The Open is one of three victories on the Curtis CV. Although he has never come close to repeating his form of 2003 on a regular basis, he tied for eighth at Carnoustie a year ago and was second in this season’s Wachovia Championship at the beginning of May.

He is never going to penetrate the game’s elite, but he is capable of putting together four useful rounds, even though he has missed the cut at the past three majors. “I know if I get hot, I have a chance to win any week,” he said.

Curtis claims to be a better player than he was when he won The Open, but the world No 86 knows he will never again have the luxury of coming in under the radar.

“Back then, I just wanted to have fun and enjoy the tournament. That week was one of the best I have ever played, and I’ve always tried to tell myself to do that again, but it’s hard because of the pressure you put on yourself and the expectations.”