Final Report on My Puerto Rico Golf Trip

Eileen Earley (Ogilvy), Chi Chi Rodriguez and yours truly at a reception
at the Gran Melia Golf Resort (photo courtesy of Rob Hayashida)

IT HAS BEEN ABOUT a month since I traveled to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Open as a member of a press tour hosted by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Golf travel and destinations are not my normal beat, but I was grateful for the opportunity to slip away for a PGA Tour event in the Caribbean, especially after such a long stretch of cold, snow and ice in the Mid Atlantic. As a huge bonus, my wife came along while our two school-age daughters stayed with friends, a rare weeklong getaway.

We stayed at the Gran Melia Golf Resort Puerto Rico in Rio Grande, which is just a John Daly 5-iron from the Trump International Golf Club where the tournament was played. I read some reviews on Trip Advisor before we left and was a bit concerned due to comments about the service and food. However, I thought the service was consistently good and at times excellent. For the most part, the staff was genuinely friendly. There are five restaurants on the property, a combination of cuisine options in casual or more formal settings. My favorite was Pasion−I dined there two nights in a row. I tried mofongo, a native dish featuring mashed plantains, and ordered the fresh grouper on my second visit. I also consumed massive quantities of decadent chocolate desserts on both evenings. Life was good. And very fattening.

The property has nearly 500 suites and a handful of villas, including the presidential villa where I believe The Donald was staying (he was on hand for tournament festivities), although it was hush-hush with the resort staff. The suites are spread out and connected by a large loop of sidewalks. Unless you really enjoy walking (I did), getting around is by golf cart. (The staff is always driving the loop and eager to pick up people as they drift out of their suites.) Our suite was large and comfortable. My only problem in the room was wireless reception, which was spotty.

The resort is on the ocean and has a beach area that I was told will be overhauled with new sand. We didn’t swim in the gigantic lagoon-style pool because the water was a little chilly. I liked seeing the iguanas everywhere. They seem to be as common on the island as squirrels are in the States. Some are larger than cats. Really. Other resort amenities include a casino, small store, bars and live entertainment.

Tours and Stuff

While I did my golf thing, which included press conferences, presentations, the tournament and various tours of local golf courses such as Rio Mar, my wife took tours to Old San Juan and the nearby El Yunque rainforest. My one regret was not getting to Old San Juan. Maybe next time.

Don’t leave San Juan on a Sunday unless you have no other choice. Apparently, all the cruise ships return and tourists flood the airport to fly home. I’ve never seen a more crowded airport in my life. It was overwhelming, and some of my fellow stand-in-liners were not dealing well with travel adversity. But my wife and I made are flights.

I also should mention that I enjoyed the company of Eileen Earley (Ogilvy), Marta (Puerto Rico tourism rep), Rob Hayashida (Sandbox8), Stacy and Barry Solomon (Golf for Beginners), Steve Ellis (The Golfer), Art Stricklin (Sports Illustrated) and Tony Korologos (The Golf Space and Hooked on Golf Blog).

It was my first trip to Puerto Rico and I’d definitely go back. Maybe I’ll be there next year for the 2011 Puerto Rico Open.

−The Armchair Golfer

Read more about my Puerto Rico trip:
Gusty Breezes and Missed Putts at the Puerto Rico Open
Skip Kendall Is the Early Leader in Puerto Rico
How to Blow Dry Trump International with a Helicopter
It’s Raining Cats, Dogs and Iguanas at the Puerto Rico Open
Opening Media Conference and More Chi Chi Rodriguez
Chi Chi Rodriguez: Puerto Rico’s Golf Ambassador

Opening Media Conference and More Chi Chi Rodriguez

(Photo courtesy of Rob Hayashida of Golf Views)

ARMCHAIR GOLF is in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, for the Puerto Rico Open.

IT HAS BEEN TOO many years since my high school Spanish, so I cannot share many of the particulars of Tuesday’s opening media conference at the Puerto Rico Open because it was conducted mostly in the native language. There was a parade of speakers who made brief comments to open the tournament, including Chi Chi Rodriguez, defending champion Michael Bradley, a PGA Tour representative and various Puerto Rican dignitaries and tourism officials.

But I definitely got the gist of their remarks. All those associated with staging the Puerto Rico Open and showcasing the island as a friendly tourist and golf destination are absolutely thrilled to be on the PGA Tour schedule. Smiles and gratitude require no translation. Hosting the Puerto Rico Open is a huge deal, sort of like a Super Bowl for the island, and something I would not grasp if not on the scene.

Chi Chi and the Shot

Although I didn’t have anything set up, I was hoping to meet Chi Chi and talk to him for a few minutes. I got my chance when Steve Ellis, a writer on assignment for The Golfer, pulled Rodriguez aside for an interview. I asked Steve if I could tag along and the three of us walked outside and stood in the warm sun.

Chi Chi, 74, looked immaculate in a striped white shirt, royal blue slacks and his signature Panama hat. He slipped on a leather jacket and stood in the 80-degree heat as cool as a Polar bear. Steve was incredulous, commenting to me a few times later, “How can he be wearing that jacket?”

The interview began with Chi Chi describing the best shot of his career, a 6-iron from the rough on the 72nd hole of the 1991 U.S. Senior Open that set up a tap-in birdie. It tied him with Jack Nicklaus and forced an 18-hole playoff that he lost to the Golden Bear the following day. The career shot at Oakland Hills came back to me as Chi Chi described it. He had 185 yards and needed to hit a low hook, curving the ball about 50 yards. The ball landed on the right-hand side of the green (or apron) and spun 90 degrees left, rolling across the green until it stopped about a foot from the hole. Steve told me that, up in the booth, Johnny Miller called it the greatest shot he’d ever witnessed.

Not sure about that, but let’s just say it was a stunning golf shot at a tense moment in a major championship. (I wish I could share a video clip, but my search for one was unsuccessful.)

Steve asked, “How did you do it? How did you hit that shot?”

“I did it in my mind,” Chi Chi said. In other words, he visualized the shot and then stepped up and swatted the thing out of the rough. He was not particularly surprised by the result, except, perhaps, that the ball finished so close to the hole. Chi Chi was a shotmaker of the highest order who curved the ball left or right, hit it low or lower, and deftly spun the ball out of a variety of grasses and lies. It was the way golf was played in the days that preceded the power era.

To emphasize his mind control ability, Chi Chi also claimed that he could change traffic signals from red to green. Steve and I chuckled, but Chi Chi barely cracked a smile. Maybe so.

I asked Chi Chi what he remembered about his first PGA Tour victory at the 1963 Denver Open. The tournament was played at the Denver Country Club, and Chi Chi had a two-shot lead as he teed his ball on the final hole and unleashed a 300-yard-plus drive in the mile-high Colorado air.

Chi Chi laughed as he recalled that his playing partner Dave Hill said he was stupid for hitting a driver on the last hole with a slim lead. You should hit an iron, Hill told Rodriguez. Chi Chi shrugged it off, saying he knew he could fit his ball in the fairway. That kind of confidence in his abilities led to seven more wins on the PGA Tour.

Notes

Tuesday was a full day. Following are more of the day’s activities.

• Special breakfast that included a presentation on the Gran Melia Golf Resort Puerto Rico, followed by a guided tour of the property.

• Afternoon outing at Rio Mar Country Club, including lunch, time with the head pro, Rafael (a great guy), practice range time and golf until rain forced us from the course.

–The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Chi Chi Rodriguez: Puerto Rico’s Golf Ambassador

Chi Chi Rodriguez: Puerto Rico’s Golf Ambassador

ARMCHAIR GOLF is in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, for the Puerto Rico Open.

IF YOU CAREFULLY SCANNED PGA Tour scores from the early 1960s, you could spot one of the very few Hispanic names: Juan Rodriguez. (Another would be Roberto de Vicenzo, the great Argentine player.) I’m not sure when Juan became popularly known as “Chi Chi,” but that young man from humble beginnings in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, would become an accomplished and colorful player on the PGA Tour and roving golf ambassador for his small island nation.

Chi Chi won eight times on the PGA Tour and notched 22 victories on the Champions Tour. His first title came at the 1963 Denver Open when he was 28 years old. One of my most vivid memories of Rodriguez was watching him duel Jack Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff at the 1991 U.S. Senior Open at Oakland Hills. Jack won with a 65; Chi Chi shot a very respectable 69. Rodriguez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992.

I doubt if there’s a day that goes by that he doesn’t consider himself extremely fortunate. Golf provided a path for Rodriguez that he could have never imagined as a boy who fashioned a makeshift golf club from the branch of a guava tree.

“It means everything to me,” Chi Chi told PGATour.com a year ago. “Through golf I made everything I have in life.”

Rodriguez has long been known for his flair, including his trademark Panama hat, rainbow attire and sword antics with his putter when his golf ball dropped into the cup. Many know of Chi Chi as an aging champion, but here’s a peek at the Puerto Rican golfer in his early days on tour:

Early days: SI photo of Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez

Puerto Rico’s golf ambassador is especially proud the PGA Tour has come to his homeland. “It’s a dream come true,” he said. “This will be a big step for Puerto Rico.”

Latin American Players in Puerto Rico Open

Following are some of the Latin American players scheduled to play this week at Trump International Golf Course.

Rafael Campos, a San Juan native who plays on the Virginia Commonwealth golf team, will be competing in his third Puerto Rico Open.

Max Alverio, an Aibonito native, is a University of Alabama graduate playing in his second Puerto Rico Open.

Erick Morales, a Dorado native, caddied in the two previous Puerto Rico Opens. He qualified to play this year by winning the Chapter Open Qualifier in a playoff.

Julio Animal Santos Polanco, making his first appearance in Puerto Rico, is considered to be the first Dominican-born player to compete on the PGA Tour.

Daniel Barbetti of Argentina, the Venezuela Open champion, will make his first PGA Tour start this week.

Cesar Costilla, also of Argentina and winner of the Visa Open de Argentina, will play in his inaugural PGA Tour event.

Argentine and two-time PGA Tour winner Jose Coceres hopes for a good showing at Trump International after a series of injuries.

–The Armchair Golfer

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