Rod Curl
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.
| Rod Curl | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Rodney Dean Curl |
| Nickname | Little Beaver[1] |
| Born | January 9, 1943 Redding, California |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st) |
| Sporting nationality | United States |
| Residence | Jupiter, Florida |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1968 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Pro Golf Tour |
| Professional wins | 3 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Other | 2 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T15: 1975 |
| PGA Championship | T20: 1980 |
| U.S. Open | T30: 1978 |
| The Open Championship | CUT: 1975 |
Born in Redding, California, Curl is a Wintu Indian.[2][3] Before taking up golf at age 19, he was an outstanding baseball player at Central Valley High School in Shasta County, California.[4]
Curl 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.[5][2][6][7]
Curl played in a limited number of Senior Tour events after reaching the age of 50 in 1993. He lives in Jupiter, Florida and is a corporate instructor with VIP Golf Academy.
Personal edit
Curl has two sons who are professional golfers: Rod Curl, Jr. is a club pro in Florida and Jeff Curl played on the Nationwide Tour. Rod also has two daughters, Suzanne Brace of Redding, California, and Kayla Curl who resides in Georgia.
Professional wins (3) edit
PGA Tour wins (1) edit
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 19, 1974 | Colonial National Invitation | 70-67-71-68=276 | −4 | 1 stroke | Jack Nicklaus |
Pro Golf Tour wins (1) edit
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 29, 1988 | Pointe Royale Invitational | 68-71-64-64=267 | −13 | 4 strokes | Ben Theobald |
Other wins (1) edit
- 1977 World Indian Open[8]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ The Indian with the Clubs Is Rod Curl, Top Pro Golfer
- ^ a b "Curl refuses to fold, beats Nicklaus in Colonial". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). Associated Press. May 20, 1974. p. 10.
- ^ Grimsley, Will (April 10, 1975). "Rod Curl only playing for himself". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. p. 1C.
- ^ Biographical information from Shasta County Sports Hall of Fame
- ^ Radosta, John S. (May 20, 1974). "Rod Curl wins golf by stroke". New York Times. p. 41.
- ^ PGATOUR.com - Bank of America Colonial
- ^ Rabun, Mike (May 20, 1974). "Dream come true for Rod Curl". Beaver County Times. (Pennsylvania). UPI. p. C-3.
- ^ Official 1991 PGA Tour Media Guide. PGA Tour Creative Services. 1991. p. 190.
External links edit
- Rod Curl at the PGA Tour official site
- Database Golf – Rod Curl
- California Indian Education – Sports heroes – Rod Curl