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Chi Chi Rodriguez, an eight-time PGA Tour winner and one of the most charismatic figures in professional golf, has died at the age of 88, according to a report from noticel.com.
Small in stature, Rodriguez was a big hitter off the tee and was known for his sword routine after sinking big putts.
His death was announced on Facebook by Puerto Rico Senate member Carmelo Javier Rios. The cause of death has not yet been announced. His death was also reported on the Puerto Rico Golf Association website.
Born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, October 23, 1935 Juan Antonio Rodriguez picked up the nickname Chi Chi as a child while playing baseball. His PGA Tour biography states that heHe worked as a caddy until he joined the U.S. Army at age 19.
His first PGA Tour victory came in 1963 at the Denver Open Invitational. He was 28 years old. 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. He played in 591 events and made 422 cuts. He went on to play in 466 more PGA Tour Champions tournaments, winning 22 on the senior tour. His last professional start was in 2016.
In 1989 he received the Bob Jones Award from the U.S. Golf Association. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992, and remains the only Puerto Rican to be inducted.
This article was originally published on Golfweek: Golf Legend Chi Chi Rodriguez Dies at 88
