Rod Curl

Rod Curl
Personal information
Full name	Rodney Dean Curl
Nickname	Little Beaver [1]
Born	(1943-01-09) January 9, 1943 (age 82) 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

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. ^{[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]

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. ^{[5] [2] [6] [7]}

Curl played in a limited number of Senior 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.	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)

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)

• 1977 World Indian Open ^[8]

See also

• Spring 1969 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 1985 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates

References

1. The Indian with the Clubs Is Rod Curl, Top Pro Golfer
2. "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

• Rod Curl at the PGA Tour official site
• Database Golf – Rod Curl
• California Indian Education – Sports heroes – Rod Curl