Chi-Chi Rodríguez

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Chi-Chi Rodríguez
Rodríguez in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Juan Antonio Rodríguez
Nickname	Chi-Chi
Born	(1935-10-23)October 23, 1935 Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
Died	August 8, 2024(2024-08-08) (aged 88)
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight	150 lb (68 kg; 11 st)
Sporting nationality	Puerto Rico  United States
Spouse	Iwalani Rodríguez
Career
Turned professional	1960
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Senior PGA Tour
Professional wins	37
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	8
PGA Tour Champions	22 (Tied-7th all-time)
Other	7
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T10: 1970, 1973
PGA Championship	T15: 1969
U.S. Open	T6: 1981
The Open Championship	T28: 1973
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame 1992 (member page) Senior PGA Tour Byron Nelson Award 1986, 1987 Senior PGA Tour money list winner 1987 Old Tom Morris Award 1989 Bob Jones Award 1989

Juan Antonio "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez (October 23, 1935 – August 8, 2024) was a Puerto Rican professional golfer. The winner of eight PGA Tour events, he was the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Rodríguez was born into a poor family in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. He was one of six siblings. His father used to earn $18 a week as a laborer and cattle handler. When Rodríguez was seven years old, he helped the family by earning money as a water carrier on a sugar plantation. One day Juan wandered off into a golf course. When he saw that the caddies were earning more money than he was, he decided to become a caddie himself.^[1][2]

Rodríguez would take a branch from a guava tree and turn it into a golf club. Using a metal can as a "golf ball," he would practice what he had seen the "real" golfers do, teaching himself how to play golf. By the time he was nine years old, he was proficient at golf, and in 1947, at the age of 12, he scored a 67.^[1][2]

In 1954, when Rodríguez was 19, he joined the U.S. Army during the Korean War. During his breaks, he would visit whichever golf course was nearby, where he continued to perfect his game.^[2]

Rodríguez, with characteristic charisma, would often make jokes about his past hardships on the golf course, such as, "How long does John Daly drive a golf ball? When I was a kid, I didn't go that far on vacation." And, "Playing golf is not hot work. Cutting sugar cane for a dollar a day — that's hot work. Hotter than my first wristwatch."^[2][3]

Rodríguez turned professional in 1960. In 1963, at age 28, Rodríguez won the Denver Open, which he considered his favorite win. He won eight titles on the PGA Tour between 1963 and 1979.^[1]

At first Rodríguez used to put his hat over the hole whenever he made a birdie or eagle. After he heard that other golfers were complaining about his little act, he decided to try something new. Juan developed his signature "toreador dance," where he would make believe that the ball was a "bull" and that his putter was a "sword," and he would terminate the "bull." Even though he was a very small man, he had a special stance and swing with the driver that enabled him to hit the ball as far as the longest drivers on the tour. Rodríguez represented Puerto Rico on 12 World Cup teams.^[1]

Rodríguez became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the PGA Tour Champions) in 1985 and did so for many years with great success, earning 22 tournament victories between 1986 and 1993. He was the first player on the Senior PGA Tour to win the same event in three consecutive years. He set a tour record with eight consecutive birdies en route to a win at the 1987 Silver Pages Classic. In 1991, he lost an 18-hole playoff to Jack Nicklaus in the U.S. Senior Open.^[1][2] Over his three decades competing on the pro circuit, he became one of the most popular players.^[4]

In 1986, Rodríguez won the Hispanic Recognition Award. In 1988, he was named Replica's Hispanic Man of the Year. In 1989, Rodríguez was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. He received the 1989 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honor. In 1992, Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the first Puerto Rican so honored.^[1][2]

Rodriguez was the 1995 Rose Parade Grand Marshal.^[5]

Rodríguez was married and had a daughter.^[2]

On one occasion, Rodríguez had a brief encounter with Mother Teresa, a moment he considered to be the greatest of his life and which inspired him to help others. Together with former professional golfer Bill Hayes and Bob James, Rodríguez established the Chi-Chi Rodríguez Youth Foundation, an afterschool program at the Glen Oaks Golf Course in Clearwater, Florida.^[1] The principal idea behind the foundation was to instill self-esteem in young people who are victims of abuse, have experienced minor brushes with the law, or have suffered any other hardships. Rodríguez also bought his mother a house and provided financial aid to his brothers and sisters.^[1]

In October 1998, Rodríguez suffered a heart attack. He underwent an angioplasty to clear a blocked artery and made a full recovery.^[6]

Rodríguez made a cameo in the movie Welcome to Mooseport (2004), in which he is seen golfing with the United States President, as portrayed by Gene Hackman.^[2]

In May 2010, Rodríguez was robbed at his house in Guayama, Puerto Rico, by three men who stole $500,000 worth of money and jewelry. Rodríguez and his wife were awakened at 1:45 in the morning by the masked men, who tied them up and proceeded to rob them.^[2][7]

On March 11, 2012, at the age of 76, Rodríguez participated, as an honorary player, in the Puerto Rico Open. He played 18 holes as his final official round as a professional in the PGA. There were several events honoring Rodríguez associated with the tournament, and the tribute received extensive media coverage.^[8]

Rodríguez died on August 8, 2024, at the age of 88. He was buried at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe, Hawaii.^[4][9]

A painted image of Rodriguez was used to sell golf merchandise in the 1970s. The members of the new wave band Devo saw one of these promotional images and decided that it represented the artificiality of popular culture. They used the image in their satirical manifesto (on the de-evolution of humanity) and also featured it on the artwork of their single "Be Stiff", which was released in early 1978, before they had signed to a major label. Four months later, they signed to Warner Bros. Records. For their debut album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, they wanted to use Rodriguez's image for the album cover art, but Warner rejected it, due to not having Rodriguez's permission. As the band sought permission, they suggested that the image could be altered to not resemble Rodriguez so closely. Warner's art department slightly changed the ears, eyes, nose and other features and began album production. By the time the band secured Rodriguez's permission, it was too late to use the original one. Warner sent Rodriguez $2,500 and 50 copies of the album, but he only listened to it once, preferring music by vocalists such as Dean Martin.^[10]

In 1993, Rodriguez lent his name to the video game Chi Chi's Pro Challenge Golf, published by Virgin Games for the Sega Genesis console.^[11]

The 1995 film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar features a drag queen character named Chi-Chi Rodriguez, played by John Leguizamo. The golfer sued the producers and distributors over the use of his name, later settling out of court for undisclosed amounts^[12]

Source:^[13]

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Sep 1, 1963	Denver Open Invitational	−4 (68-74-65-69=276)	2 strokes	Bill Eggers
2	Jan 27, 1964	Lucky International Open	−12 (72-69-65-66=272)	Playoff	Don January
3	Aug 9, 1964	Western Open	−16 (64-69-68-67=268)	1 stroke	Arnold Palmer
4	Apr 30, 1967	Texas Open Invitational	−7 (68-73-70-66=277)	1 stroke	Bob Charles, Bob Goalby
5	Oct 20, 1968	Sahara Invitational	−10 (70-71-69-64=274)	Playoff	Dale Douglass
6	May 1, 1972	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	−7 (66-68-69-70=273)	Playoff	Billy Casper
7	Apr 2, 1973	Greater Greensboro Open	−17 (68-66-67-66=267)	1 stroke	Lou Graham, Ken Still
8	Apr 22, 1979	Tallahassee Open	−19 (66-69-67-67=269)	3 strokes	Lindy Miller

PGA Tour playoff record (3–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1964	Lucky International Open	Don January	Won 18-hole playoff; Rodríguez: −1 (70), January: E (71)
2	1966	Cajun Classic Open Invitational	Jacky Cupit	Lost to par on second extra hole
3	1968	Sahara Invitational	Dale Douglass	Won with par on first extra hole
4	1972	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	Billy Casper	Won with birdie on first extra hole

• 1963 Colombian Open
• 1976 Pepsi-Cola Mixed Team Championship (with Jo Ann Washam)
• 1979 Bahamas Open, Panama Open (tie with Butch Baird)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jun 22, 1986	Senior Tournament Players Championship	−10 (69-67-70=206)*	2 strokes	Bruce Crampton
2	Aug 10, 1986	Digital Seniors Classic	−13 (70-67-66=203)	1 stroke	Gary Player
3	Sep 14, 1986	United Virginia Bank Seniors	−14 (69-67-66=202)	3 strokes	Don January
4	Feb 15, 1987	General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship	−6 (70-69-76-67=282)	1 stroke	Dale Douglass
5	May 10, 1987	Vantage at The Dominion	−13 (67-67-69=203)	3 strokes	Butch Baird
6	May 17, 1987	United Hospitals Senior Golf Championship	−8 (70-69-63=202)	1 stroke	Lee Elder
7	May 24, 1987	Silver Pages Classic	−16 (66-65-69=200)	3 strokes	Bruce Crampton
8	Jun 7, 1987	Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am	−15 (67-69-65=201)	1 stroke	Bruce Crampton
9	Aug 9, 1987	Digital Seniors Classic (2)	−18 (65-66-67=198)	8 strokes	Orville Moody
10	Aug 23, 1987	GTE Northwest Classic	−10 (70-68-68=206)	1 stroke	Butch Baird
11	Apr 17, 1988	Doug Sanders Kingwood Celebrity Classic	−8 (70-69-69=208)	2 strokes	Miller Barber, John Brodie
12	Jul 31, 1988	Digital Seniors Classic (3)	−14 (68-65-69=202)	1 stroke	Bob Charles
13	Sep 17, 1989	Crestar Classic (2)	−13 (66-69-68=203)	1 stroke	Jim Dent, Dick Rhyan
14	May 6, 1990	Las Vegas Senior Classic	−12 (68-67-69=204)	1 stroke	George Archer, Charles Coody
15	Jul 22, 1990	Ameritech Senior Open	−13 (67-70-66=203)	7 strokes	George Archer, Al Kelley
16	Aug 12, 1990	Sunwest Bank Charley Pride Senior Golf Classic	−11 (66-71-68=205)	2 strokes	Charles Coody, Jim Dent, Jim Ferree
17	Mar 3, 1991	GTE West Classic	−8 (66-66=132)*	1 stroke	Bruce Crampton, Gary Player
18	Mar 24, 1991	Vintage ARCO Invitational	−10 (70-67-69=206)	1 stroke	Mike Hill, Don January
19	May 5, 1991	Las Vegas Senior Classic (2)	−12 (70-68-66=204)	3 strokes	Walt Zembriski
20	May 12, 1991	Murata Reunion Pro-Am (2)	−8 (71-70-67=208)	Playoff	Jim Colbert
21	Nov 8, 1992	Ko Olina Senior Invitational	−10 (69-68-69=206)	6 strokes	Charles Coody
22	Jun 20, 1993	Burnet Senior Classic	−15 (69-67-65=201)	2 strokes	Jim Colbert, Bob Murphy

*Note: Tournament shortened to 36/54 holes due to rain.

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–7)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1986	Greater Grand Rapids Open	Jim Ferree, Gene Littler	Ferree won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1989	Bell Atlantic/St. Christopher's Classic	Dave Hill	Lost to par on third extra hole
3	1989	General Tire Las Vegas Classic	Charles Coody, Bob Charles	Coody won with birdie on second extra hole
4	1990	NYNEX Commemorative	Mike Fetchick, Jimmy Powell, Lee Trevino	Trevino won with birdie on fifth extra hole Powell and Rodríguez eliminated by birdie on first hole
5	1991	Murata Reunion Pro-Am	Jim Colbert	Won with par on fourth extra hole
6	1991	U.S. Senior Open	Jack Nicklaus	Lost 18-hole playoff; Nicklaus: −5 (65), Rodríguez: −1 (69)
7	1991	Security Pacific Senior Classic	George Archer, John Brodie	Brodie won with birdie on first extra hole
8	1993	First of America Classic	George Archer, Jim Colbert	Archer won with par on third extra hole Rodríguez eliminated by par on first hole

• 1988 Japan PGA Senior Championship, Senior Skins Game
• 1989 Senior Skins Game

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

• Most consecutive cuts made – 9 (1972 U.S. Open – 1974 PGA)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1986	Senior Tournament Players Championship	−10 (69-67-70=206)	2 strokes	Bruce Crampton
1987	General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship	−6 (70-69-76-67=282)	1 stroke	Dale Douglass

NYF = Tournament not yet founded
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Note: Rodríguez never played in the Senior Open Championship.

• World Cup (representing Puerto Rico): 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1993
• Ryder Cup (representing the United States): 1973 (winners)
• Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Senior PGA Tour): 1992, 1993 (winners)

• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of golfers with most Champions Tour wins

• Chi-Chi Rodríguez at IMDb
• Chi Chi Rodriguez at the PGA Tour official site
• Chi Chi Rodriguez at the World Golf Hall of Fame
• Chi-Chi Rodríguez discography at Discogs