Rod Curl

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Rod Curl
Personal information
Full nameRodney Dean Curl
NicknameLittle Beaver[1]
Born (1943-01-09) January 9, 1943 (age 79)
Redding, California
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight160 lb (73 kg; 11 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceJupiter, Florida
Career
Turned professional1968
Professional wins2
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Other1
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.

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 United States Jack Nicklaus

Other wins (1)[]

  • 1977 World Indian Open[8]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ The Indian with the Clubs Is Rod Curl, Top Pro Golfer
  2. ^ a b "Curl refuses to fold, beats Nicklaus in Colonial". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). Associated Press. May 20, 1974. p. 10.
  3. ^ Grimsley, Will (April 10, 1975). "Rod Curl only playing for himself". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. p. 1C.
  4. ^ Biographical information from Shasta County Sports Hall of Fame
  5. ^ Radosta, John S. (May 20, 1974). "Rod Curl wins golf by stroke". New York Times. p. 41.
  6. ^ PGATOUR.com - Bank of America Colonial
  7. ^ Rabun, Mike (May 20, 1974). "Dream come true for Rod Curl". Beaver County Times. (Pennsylvania). UPI. p. C-3.
  8. ^ Official 1991 PGA Tour Media Guide. PGA Tour Creative Services. 1991. p. 190.

External links[]

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