Chi-Chi Rodríguez


Juan Antonio "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez is 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.

Early years

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.
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.
In 1954, when Rodríguez was 19, he joined the United States Army. During his breaks, he would visit whichever golf course was nearby, where he continued to perfect his game.
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 wrist watch."

PGA Tour

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

Senior PGA Tour

Rodríguez became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour 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.

Awards and honors

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.
Rodriguez was the 1995 Rose Parade Grand Marshal.

Later years

On one occasion, Rodríguez had a brief encounter with Mother Teresa. He considers that moment as the greatest moment in his life. This encounter inspired him to help others. Rodríguez, together with former pro golfer Bill Hayes and Bob James, established the "Chi-Chi Rodríguez Youth Foundation", an afterschool program at the Glen Oaks Golf Course in Clearwater, Florida. The principal idea behind the foundation is to instill self-esteem in young people who are victims of abuse, have experienced minor brushes with the law, or have suffered other hardships. Rodríguez also bought his mother a house and gave financial help to his brothers and sisters.
In October 1998, Rodríguez suffered a heart attack. He had an angioplasty to clear the blocked artery and made a recovery. He is married and has one daughter.
In 2004, Rodriguez made a cameo in the movie Welcome to Mooseport, shown golfing with the "President" portrayed by Gene Hackman.
In May 2010, Rodríguez was robbed at his house in Guayama, Puerto Rico, by three people who stole $500,000 in cash and jewelry. Rodríguez and his wife were awakened at 1:45 in the morning by masked men who then tied them up and robbed them.
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.

Professional wins (37)

PGA Tour wins (8)

PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11964Lucky International Open Don JanuaryWon 18-hole playoff;
Rodríguez: −1,
January: E
21966Cajun Classic Open Invitational Jacky CupitLost to par on second extra hole
31968Sahara Invitational Dale DouglassWon with par on first extra hole
41972Byron Nelson Golf Classic Billy CasperWon with birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (4)

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

Senior PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11986Greater Grand Rapids Open Jim Ferree, Gene LittlerFerree won with birdie on first extra hole
21989Bell Atlantic/St. Christopher's Classic Dave HillLost to par on third extra hole
31989General Tire Las Vegas Classic Charles Coody, Bob CharlesCoody won with birdie on second extra hole
41990NYNEX Commemorative Mike Fetchick, Jimmy Powell,
Lee Trevino		Trevino won with birdie on fifth extra hole
Powell and Rodríguez eliminated with birdie on first hole
51991Murata Reunion Pro-Am Jim ColbertWon with par on fourth extra hole
61991U.S. Senior Open Jack NicklausLost 18-hole playoff;
Nicklaus: –5,
Rodriguez: –1
71991Security Pacific Senior Classic George Archer, John BrodieBrodie won with birdie on second extra hole
81993First of America Classic George Archer, Jim ColbertArcher won with par on third extra hole
Rodríguez eliminated with par on first hole

Other senior wins (3)

CUT = missed the half-way cut

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

Wins (2)

Team appearances

A painted image of Rodriguez was used to sell golf merchandise in the 1970s. The band members of Devo saw one of these promotional images and decided that it represented the artificiality of pop culture. The band put the image of Rodriguez in their satirical manifesto on the de-evolution of humanity, and it appeared on the artwork of their single, "Be Stiff", released in early 1978 before they had signed to a major label. Four months later, they signed to Warner Bros. Records to make an album, and they proposed the same image of Rodriguez for the album cover. Warner turned down the idea, as it was illegal to profit off the image of another person without their permission. The band sought permission from Rodriguez, and they also suggested to Warner that the face could be modified so that it did not resemble Rodriguez so closely. Warner's art department slightly changed the ears, eyes, nose and other features, and prepared to release the album. At this point, Rodriguez gave permission for his face to appear on the album, but it was too late to change back. The new wave album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! was released in August 1978 with the modified image of Rodriguez on the cover. 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.