kids encyclopedia robot

Rod Curl facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Rod Curl
Personal information
Full name Rodney Dean Curl
Nickname Little Beaver
Born (1943-01-09) January 9, 1943 (age 81)
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
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
The Masters Tournament T15: 1975
U.S. Open T30: 1978
The Open Championship CUT: 1975
PGA Championship T20: 1980

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. Before taking up golf at age 19, he was an outstanding baseball player at Central Valley High School in Shasta County, California.

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.

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 two daughters, Suzanne Brace of Redding, California, and Kayla Curl who resides in Georgia.

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 United States 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 United States Ben Theobald

Other wins (1)

  • 1977 World Indian Open

See also

  • Spring 1969 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
  • 1985 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
kids search engine
Rod Curl Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.