What was Chi-Chi Rodríguez's Net Worth?
Chi-Chi Rodríguez was a Puerto Rican professional golfer who had a net worth of $15 million at the time of his death. Chi-Chi Rodríguez won eight PGA Tour events between 1963 and 1979. After that, he played on the Senior PGA Tour, where he racked up 22 tournament victories between 1986 and 1993, including two major championships. Rodríguez also represented his native Puerto Rico in 12 World Cup of Golf tournaments.
Early Life
Chi-Chi Rodríguez, whose real name is Juan Antonio Rodríguez, was born on October 23, 1935 in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico as one of six siblings in a poor family. As a kid, he helped the family financially by working as a water carrier on a sugar plantation. One day, after wandering onto a golf course and seeing that the caddies were earning more money than he was, Rodríguez decided to become a caddie. This led to his interest in golf. Using a branch from a guava tree as a golf club and a metal can as a ball, Rodríguez taught himself how to play the sport. He continued to hone his skills over the years, including during his time in the United States Army in the 1950s.
PGA Tour
In 1960, Rodríguez turned professional and joined the PGA Tour. He earned his first victory on the Tour in 1963 at the Denver Open Invitational, which he considers his favorite win. The following year, Rodríguez won the Lucky International Open and the Western Open, defeating Arnold Palmer by one stroke at the latter tournament. His next PGA Tour win came in 1967 at the Texas Open Invitational. Rodríguez went on to win the Sahara Invitational in 1968. He wouldn't win another PGA Tour event until 1972, at the Byron Nelson Golf Classic. In 1973, Rodríguez won the Greater Greensboro Open. He won his eighth and final PGA Tour tournament, the Tallahassee Open, in 1979.
Senior PGA Tour
In 1985, Rodríguez became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour. The next year, he won the Senior Players Championship, as well as the Digital Seniors Classic and the United Virginia Bank Seniors. Rodríguez went on to win six events in 1987, including the Senior PGA Championship and his second consecutive Digital Seniors Classic. He also set a tour record with eight consecutive birdies en route to his win at the 1987 Silver Pages Classic. In 1988, Rodríguez won his third consecutive Digital Seniors Classic, making him the first player on the Senior PGA Tour to win the same event three years in a row.
Rodríguez had one of his best career years in 1991, winning the GTE West Classic, the Vintage ARCO Invitational, the Las Vegas Senior Classic, and the Murata Reunion Pro-Am. He also had his best finish at the U.S. Senior Open, coming in second place to Jack Nicklaus after an 18-hole playoff. In 1992, Rodríguez won the Ko Olina Senior Invitational by six strokes over Charles Coody. He won his 22nd and final event on the Senior PGA Tour, the Burnet Senior Classic, in mid-1993.
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Other Wins
Among his other notable tournament wins, Rodríguez won the Colombian Open in 1963 and the Bahamas and Panama Opens in 1979. As a senior player, he won the Japan PGA Senior Championship in 1988, and won two consecutive Senior Skins Games in 1988 and 1989. In 1993, Rodríguez won the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge with his Senior PGA Tour team.
National Team Play
Between 1961 and 1993, Rodríguez played with the Puerto Rico men's golf team at 12 World Cup of Golf tournaments. Meanwhile, in 1973, he played with the victorious United States team at the Ryder Cup.
Philanthropy
After having a brief but revelatory encounter with Mother Teresa, Rodríguez decided to establish his own philanthropic foundation. With the help of Bill Hayes and Bob James, he founded the Chi-Chi Rodríguez Youth Foundation, an after-school program in Clearwater, Florida designed to instill confidence in mistreated youth.
Awards and Honors
Rodríguez has earned many honors for his long and successful golf career. In 1989, he received the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor bestowed by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. Also that year, Rodríguez received the Old Tom Morris Award, the most prestigious honor granted by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. In 1992, Rodríguez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Personal Life & Death
Rodríguez was married and has a daughter. In 1998, he suffered a heart attack and subsequently had an angioplasty to clear the blocked artery. In 2010, Rodríguez and his wife were robbed of $500,000 at their home in Guayama, Puerto Rico.
Chi-Chi Rodríguez died on August 8, 2024 at the age of 88.
