Chi Chi Rodriguez, whose flamboyance on the course and passion for the game of golf transformed him into one of its most popular players through his more than three decades on the pro tours, died on Thursday. He was 88.
His death was announced by the PGA Tour. The announcement did not cite a cause or say where he died.
In a sport typically associated with lush country clubs where respectful crowds idolize often bland players with comfortable roots, Rodriguez broke the mold.
Growing up in a poor family in Puerto Rico, he almost died at age 4 from vitamin deficiencies. At 7, he helped out in the sugar cane fields where his father, Juan Rodriguez Sr., whacked away with a machete for a few dollars a day.