Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez, known as much for his on-course showmanship as for the talent that led to his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, died on Thursday at age 88 in Clearwater, Fla.
Rodriguez earned eight victories on the PGA Tour, starting with the 1963 Denver Open Invitational and ending with the 1979 Denver Open Invitational.
After turning 50, he proved even more successful on the Senior PGA Tour (now the PGA Tour Champions), posting 22 victories — a total that is tied for seventh in the circuit’s history.
His best finish in one of the four Grand Slam tournaments was a tie for sixth in the 1981 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club near Philadelphia. Rodriguez twice tied for 10th at the Masters, in 1970 and 1973.
Rodriguez grew up poor in Puerto Rico, which he later represented 12 times in the World Cup of Golf.
The 5-foot-7 golfer won legions of fans with a quick wit and antics such as pantomiming using his golf club as a sword.
“The people come out and pay good money to see golf,” he once said, according to PGATour.com. “I think they deserve something extra, and I like to give it to them.”
Rodriguez also was heavily involved in charity work, starting the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation in Clearwater to assist at-risk youth.
“Chi Chi Rodriguez’s passion for charity and outreach was surpassed only by his incredible talent with a golf club in his hand,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “A vibrant, colorful personality both on and off the golf course, he will be missed dearly by the PGA Tour and those whose lives he touched in his mission to give back. The PGA Tour sends its deepest condolences to the entire Rodriguez family during this difficult time.”
Rodriguez told the Florida Times Union in 2016, according to USA Today, “We make them taxpayers instead of tax burdens. We make them executives instead of felons. Every day, the first thing we do is pledge allegiance to the flag because if they learn respect for the flag they can learn respect for themselves and for others.”
He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992, three years after he received the Bobby Jones Award, the U.S. Golf Association’s top honor.
–Field Level Media