Rod Curl
Rodney 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 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) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Residence | Jupiter, Florida |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1968 |
| Professional wins | 2 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Other | 1 |
| 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
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 a daughter, Kayla Curl who resides in Georgia.
Professional wins (2)
PGA Tour wins (1)
| 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 |
Other wins (1)
- 1977 World Indian Open[8]
References
- The Indian with the Clubs Is Rod Curl, Top Pro Golfer
- "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
- Rod Curl at the PGA Tour official site
- Database Golf – Rod Curl
- California Indian Education – Sports heroes – Rod Curl