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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 [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
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