Rod Curl

Rod Curl
Personal information
Full nameRodney Dean Curl
NicknameLittle Beaver
Born (1943-01-09) January 9, 1943 (age 83)
Redding, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight160 lb (73 kg; 11 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceJupiter, Florida, U.S.
Career
Turned professional1968
Former toursPGA Tour
Pro Golf Tour
Professional wins3
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Other2
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT15: 1975
PGA ChampionshipT20: 1980
U.S. OpenT30: 1978
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 1975

Rodney Dean Curl (born January 9, 1943) is an American professional golfer best known for being the first full-blooded Native American to win a PGA Tour event.

Early life

Curl was born in Redding, California. He is a Wintu Indian. Before taking up golf at age 19, he was an outstanding baseball player at Central Valley High School in Shasta County, California.

Professional career

In 1968, Curl turned pro. He joined the PGA Tour in 1969 and played regularly through 1978. He had 42 top-10 finishes in official PGA Tour events including one win and a half-dozen second and third-place finishes. In 1974, he won the Colonial National Invitation in Fort Worth by one stroke after runner-up Jack Nicklaus bogeyed the 17th hole and a birdied the last.

Curl played in a limited number of Senior PGA Tour events after reaching the age of 50 in 1993. Late in life, he worked as a corporate instructor with VIP Golf Academy.

Personal life

Curl lives in Jupiter, Florida.

Professional wins (3)

PGA Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1 May 19, 1974 Colonial National Invitation 70-67-71-68=276 −4 1 stroke United States Jack Nicklaus

Pro Golf Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1 May 29, 1988 Pointe Royale Invitational 68-71-64-64=267 −13 4 strokes United States Ben Theobald

Other wins (1)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Indian with the Clubs Is Rod Curl, Top Pro Golfer". People. July 15, 1974.
  2. 1 2 "Curl refuses to fold, beats Nicklaus in Colonial". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. Associated Press. May 20, 1974. p. 10 – via Google News Archive.
  3. ↑ Grimsley, Will (April 10, 1975). "Rod Curl only playing for himself". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Florida. Associated Press. p. 1C – via Google News Archive.
  4. ↑ "Shasta County Sports Hall of Fame Electees: Rod Curl". Shasta County Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2006.
  5. ↑ Radosta, John S. (May 20, 1974). "Rod Curl wins golf by stroke". New York Times. p. 41.
  6. ↑ Rabun, Mike (May 20, 1974). "Dream come true for Rod Curl". Beaver County Times. Pennsylvania. UPI. p. C-3 – via Google News Archive.
  7. ↑ Official 1991 PGA Tour Media Guide. PGA Tour Creative Services. 1991. p. 190.