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.
Professional wins (3)
editPGA 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
editReferences
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