Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez, a Hall of Fame golfer whose entertaining antics on the greens and inspiring life story made him one of the most beloved players in the sport, passed away on Thursday at the age of 88.
The news of Rodriguez’s death was confirmed by Carmelo Javier Ríos, a senator from Puerto Rico, Rodriguez’s home country. No cause of death was provided.
“Chi Chi Rodriguez’s dedication to charity and community outreach was matched only by his incredible skill on the golf course,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan in a statement. “His vibrant and colorful personality both on and off the course will be deeply missed by the PGA Tour and all those whose lives he touched through his philanthropic efforts. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Rodriguez family during this difficult time.”
He was born Juan Antonio Rodriguez, the second eldest of six siblings, in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, a place once covered in sugar cane fields where he assisted his father with the harvest as a child. The area has since transformed into a bustling urban center, now part of San Juan, the capital of the U.S. territory.
RELATED STORY |Conservative TV and radio host Lou Dobbs dies at 78
Rodriguez claimed to have learned golf by hitting tin cans with a stick from a guava tree and began working as a caddie. He boasted that he could shoot a 67 by the age of 12, as per a biography from the Chi Chi Rodriguez Management Group in Stow, Ohio.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1955-57, joined the PGA Tour in 1960, and secured eight victories over his 21-year career, representing the Ryder Cup team once.
His first tour win came in 1963 at the Denver Open, followed by two more the next year and culminating in the Tallahassee Open in 1979. Additionally, he earned 22 victories on the Champions Tour from 1985-2002 and amassed over $7.6 million in career earnings. Rodriguez was inducted into the PGA World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992.
Rodriguez was renowned for his entertaining behavior on the fairway, including twirling his club like a sword (known as his “matador routine”) and dancing celebratorily, often incorporating a salsa step, after sinking a birdie putt. He frequently mimicked his fellow players in a lighthearted manner.
He was hospitalized in October 1998 after experiencing chest pains and, upon consulting a doctor, was informed that he was having a heart attack.
“It scared me for the first time,” Rodriguez recalled in a 1999 interview with The Associated Press. “Jim Anderson (his pilot) drove me to the hospital and a team of doctors were waiting to operate. If I had waited another 10 minutes, the doctor said I would have needed a heart transplant.”
RELATED STORY |Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America’s pioneering sex therapist who became a pop culture icon, dies at 96
Following his recovery, Rodriguez competed for a few more years before transitioning away from his professional career to focus on community and charity work, such as the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation, a charitable organization established in Clearwater, Florida, in 1979.
In recent times, he spent most of his days in Puerto Rico, where he was involved in a golf community project, hosted a radio talk show, and made appearances at various events. He attended the 2008 Puerto Rico Open, interacting with attendees but refraining from playing golf to allow younger players the opportunity to earn a living.
Rodriguez is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Iwalani, and Donnette, his wife’s daughter from a previous marriage.
