Rod Curl
| Rod Curl | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
| 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 | 1 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T15: 1975 |
| U.S. Open | T30: 1978 |
| The Open Championship | CUT: 1975 |
| PGA Championship | T20: 1980 |
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.
Curl was born in Redding, California. He is a Wintu Indian. Before taking up golf at age 19, he was an outstanding baseball player at Central Valley High School in Shasta County, California.[2]
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. He beat Jack Nicklaus to win the 1974 Colonial National Invitation by one stroke after Nicklaus made a bogey on the 17th hole.[3]
Curl played in a limited number of Champions Tour events after reaching the age of 50 in 1993. He has two sons who are professional golfers. Rod Curl, Jr. is a club pro in Florida. Jeff Curl plays on the Nationwide Tour. Rod also has a daughter, Kayla Curl who resides in Georgia. Curl lives in Jupiter, Florida and is a corporate instructor with VIP Golf Academy.
Professional wins (1)
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 19, 1974 | Colonial National Invitation | –4 (70-67-71-68=276) | 1 stroke | Jack Nicklaus |