Juan Antonio "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez is a Puerto Rican professional golfer. He was the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Background
Chi Chi was born in Río Piedras, a suburb of San Juan, on October 23, 1935, one of six children of Juan Rodriguez, a worker in sugarcane farms, and Modesta Vilá. His family was extremely poor and his boyhood and adolescence were filled with hardships. He suffered many debilitating illnesses as a result of his poor diet and living conditions. By the time he was seven years old, he was working under the scorching sun on a sugarcane plantation.
Education
When he was nine, he became a caddy, making 35 cents for 18 holes. Of his early days as a caddy he has said: "You didn't dare lose a ball for the man whose bag you were toting. If you did, though, they kicked your butt off the course. It was tempting though. It was in the Depression and you could get 75 cents for any good ball you found. That was enough to feed our family".
Career
His work as a caddy gave him a liking for the sport and he dreamed that one day he could become a golf star. However, his beginnings in the game were not easy. Rodriguez often reminisces about those early attempts at playing the game:
The irony of me learning to play this great game of golf initially with a guava stick for a dub and a crushed tin can for a ball, and later with a "real" ball, but only a five iron, is that that was an advantage, not a disadvantage, as one might naturally perceive to be. Both of these rather rustic types of apprenticeship sharpened my hand-eye coordination and heightened my sense of touch or "feel" for hitting a particular distance.
In 1955 Rodriguez played his first professional golf tournament, the Puerto Rico Open. Even though he placed second, it was clear that he had a great future as a golf player. However, because of his family's financial hardships, Rodriguez was forced to enter the armed forces in 1955 to make some money. He continued to play while in the military.
When Rodriguez left the army in 1957 he decided to return to Puerto Rico with the goal of becoming a professional golfer. A man with a charming personality and temperament, Rodriguez has been fortunate to have good mentors throughout his career. One of these was Ed Dudley, then head professional at the Dorado Beach Hotel in Dorado, who gave him a job as a caddy master and tutored him. His steady coaching and practice, along with his ability for the sport, allowed him to quickly join the professional golfing circuit and to turn professional in 1960. While he was able to earn some money, it was not until 1963 that he won the Denver Open, his first victory in a professional tournament.
From 1963 to 1979 he became one of the hottest performers on the professional golf circuit and won eight regular tour victories, earning $1,037,105. Some of his early victories were the Denver Open (1963), the Lucky International Western Open (1964), the Texas Open (1967), the Sahara Invitational (1968), the Byron Nelson Classic (1972), and the Greater Greensboro Open (1973).
Rodriguez is considered a master of short games. His book 101 Supershots: Every Golfer's Guide to Lower Scores (1990) outlines some of his most successful techniques in the golf game. In 1985, at the age of 55, Rodriguez entered the senior golf tournament circuit, where he has had many resounding successes, with 22 victories and earned $6,524,472. From 1986 to 1993 he often ranked within the first five positions of the senior tour and has won such important tournaments as the Digital Seniors Classic (1986), the Doug Sanders Classic, (1988), the Las Vegas Senior Classic (1990), and the Senior PGA Tour Burner Classic (1993). He was asked by Jack Nicklaus to be endorser of MacGregor clubs and signed a lifetime promotional and endorsement contract with the Toyota Motor Company and with Choice Hotels International. His winnings on the golf course, as well as his commercial endorsements, have brought him considerable wealth.
One of the most significant dimensions of Rodriguez's career has been his philanthropic work. A man who was undoubtedly scarred by the illnesses of poverty, Rodriguez has made a strong effort to use his wealth and visibility to help the poor and disenfranchised. During the late 1960s Rodriguez opened a golf school for underprivileged kids in Florida. Many of his former students have pursued both professional golf and college educations. In 1979, he established the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation to serve inner city youths who are at risk of dropping out of school. His foundation supports a series of scholarship programs and inner city initiatives to guarantee that underprivileged children get access to educational opportunities.
In 1986, Rodríguez won the Hispanic Recognition Award.
In 1986, Rodríguez won the Hispanic Recognition Award.
Replica's Hispanic Man of the Year, 1988
In 1988, he was named Replica's Hispanic Man of the Year.
In 1988, he was named Replica's Hispanic Man of the Year.
Bob Jones Awar, 1989
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.
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.
Old Tom Morris Award, 1989
He received the 1989 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honor.
He received the 1989 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honor.
World Golf Hall of Fame, 1992
In 1992, Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the first Puerto Rican so honored.
In 1992, Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the first Puerto Rican so honored.