Rags-to-riches Rodriguez is really living the dream
For all its reputation as a pampered man’s sport, golf has been a rich source for tales of success that go way beyond the territory of the unexpected and into the land where the jaw simply goes slack.
Think of Erik Compton, who made it to the PGA Tour despite two heart transplants. or Patrick Cantlay, who cradled his best friend while his life ebbed away following a hit-and-run, and went on to become one of the world’s best players in his memory. or Tony Finau, who started out hitting balls with a six iron against a carpet pinned to the wall in his garage, before bucking astronomical odds to become a ryder Cup player.
Now, alongside them, is one Jose de Jesus rodriguez, who is teeing it up on the PGA Tour this year as a 37-year-old rookie. As outlined on golf.com recently, rodriguez (below) has a back story so extraordinary it even rivals his famous namesake Chi Chi, who worked in a sugar cane field and carved his first club out of the limb of a guava tree before becoming one of the biggest personalities in the American game. At the age of 15 and penniless, this rodriguez spent three months trying to reach America, being foiled each time by the swirling currents of the rio Grande and the US Border Patrol. When he finally made it, another decade would pass before his dream of becoming a pro took root. He spent his time as a caddie and sent his wages back home to his family in Mexico.
When he returned to his homeland, aged 25, he started caddying and met a businessman impressed with his skills as a player, who encouraged him to turn pro.
He joined the Mexico Tour, where he won a record 14 times, before moving on to the LatinoAmerica Tour, where he earned a place on the Web.com Tour, which sits one rung below the PGA Tour.
Last year, he won once and finished 29th on the money list, with the top 30 gaining promotion to the main circuit.
Last week, he was playing in Hawaii and this week Palm Springs — not so much a far cry but an unimaginable one from his upbringing sleeping side-by-side on a dirt floor with seven brothers and sisters in a one-room house.
Asked what he liked most about his new life, rodriguez, close to tears, said: ‘Everything. This was my dream.Who could ever have imagined it would come true?’ derek.lawrenson@dailymail.co.uk