Hometown: Virginia Beach
Sport: Golf
Rank: 6 (ahead of Ricky Rudd and behind Kenny Easley)
Born: 1955
Claim to fame: Won back-to-back U.S. Opens; is inducted into the International Golf Hall of Fame
Strange was the PGA Tour's first million-dollar man, topping that figure in 1988, when he won the first of two consecutive U.S. Opens. No one had managed to repeat as Open champion since Ben Hogan in 1950-51, and no one has done it since. He won 17 times from 1979-88 and seemed to leave a little of himself on the course each time. He played with the intensity that earned him the nickname ÒBrutusÓ while at Wake Forest. A three-time All-American at Wake, Strange eagled the 72nd hole to seal the Demon Deacons' NCAA team championship and also the individual championship for himself. He grew up in Virginia Beach, the son of a club pro. After his father died when Curtis was 15, Strange was mentored by PGA legend Chandler Harper. Strange's prime was brief but torrid. A giant of the game in the 1980s, he never won a Tour event after the 1989 U.S. Open. He played in five Ryder Cups and captained the 2002 team. He still plays on the Champions Tour.
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