Rod Curl
American professional golfer (born 1943)
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.
01Early life
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.
02Professional 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.
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.
03Professional 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
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Rod Curl”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
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