The Wedding Swinger

Last Saturday Ben Curtis married Candace Beatty at United
Methodist Church in Kent, Ohio, a joyous occasion made slightly
more complicated by his third round at the NEC Invitational,
which ended only two hours and 40 minutes before the nuptials
began. The wedding had been planned long before Curtis's stunning
win at the British Open earned him a tee time at Firestone
Country Club, which happens to be a mere 20 minutes from his
adopted hometown of Kent. Here's a blow-by-blow of his memorable
day.

--Curtis starts his round at 11:40. After opening on Thursday with
a career-low 64, it had looked as if Curtis would be among the
Saturday leaders, meaning he'd have a late tee time. But a
disappointing second-round 76 came with some consolation--an
earlier exit.

--As Curtis left the final green after a commendable two-over 72,
fans sang, "Going to the chapel, and we're gonna get married...."
In a brief interview with reporters, he said, "[The wedding]
wasn't on my mind as much as I thought it would be."

--After a quick shower in the clubhouse, Curtis got a lift to
United Methodist in a sheriff's car, lights flashing. His tux was
at the church--eventually, so too were 400 guests, while a
satellite truck, five TV crews and four print photographers
gathered outside.

--As the newlyweds emerged from the church, motorists along Route
59 honked their approval. The Curtises departed in a limo that
had FORE LOVE scrawled on the windows. The honeymoon? Curtis is
playing in this week's Deutsche Bank Championship.

GOLF PLUS will next appear in the Sept. 22 issue of SI.

FOUR COLOR PHOTOS: TONY DEJAK/AP (4)