Chi Chi Rodriguez Dies: Eight-Time PGA Tour Winner Was 88

Chi Chi Rodriguez, considered one of the most charismatic figures in pro golf, has died at age 88, according to the Associated Press. No cause of death or location was given.

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Rodriguez was one of golf’s great entertainers. His comedic antics included placing his hat over holes as a way to stop the birdies from escaping. After sinking a big putt, he might pretend to sheath his putter at his belt, like a sword that had been used in battle. As a result, he attracted some of the circuit’s largest galleries.

“Some of the players objected to me putting my hat over the hole, so former Commissioner Joe Dey asked me to stop,” Rodriguez once told the L.A. Times.

Born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 23, 1935, he nearly died at age four from rickets and tropical sprue, a chronic deficiency disease. Named Juan Antonio Rodriguez, he picked up the nickname Chi Chi as a kid when he played baseball.

His PGA Tour bio notes that he worked as a caddie in his native country, learning to play golf by smacking a tin can with a guava tree limb.

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He turned pro in 1960 and notched his first PGA Tour win at the 1963 Denver Open Invitational. He also won the 1964 Lucky International Open, the 1964 Western Open, the 1967 Texas Open, the 1968 Sahara Invitational, the 1972 Byron Nelson Classic, and the 1979 Tallahassee Open.

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He played in 591 events and made 422 cuts. He also was a member of the victorious 1973 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Rodriguez founded the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation in 1979.

In 1989, he was awarded the Bob Jones Award, the U.S. Golf Association’s highest honor, for distinguished sportsmanship.

“Chi Chi Rodriguez’s passion for charity and outreach was surpassed only by his incredible talent with a golf club in his hand,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “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.”

No information on survivors was immediately available.

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