Sports Digest: Juan ‘Chi Chi’ Rodriguez, Hall of Fame golfer, dies at age 88

Chi Chi Rodriguez smiles while signing an autograph at the Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord, Mass., in 2006. Rodriguez has died at 88. Steven Senne/Associated Press

GOLF

Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez, a Hall of Fame golfer whose antics on the greens during and inspiring life story made him among the sport’s most popular players during a long professional career, died Thursday. He was 88.

Rodriguez’s death was announced by Carmelo Javier Ríos, a senator in Rodriguez’ native Puerto Rico. He didn’t provide a cause of death.

He was born Juan Antonio Rodriguez, the second oldest of six children, in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. He said he learned to play golf by hitting tin cans with a guava tree stick and then found work as a caddie. He claimed he could shoot a 67 by age 12, according to a biography provided by the Chi Chi Rodriguez Management Group in Stow, Ohio.

He served in the U.S. Army from 1955-57 and joined the PGA Tour in 1960 and won eight times during his 21-year career, playing on one Ryder Cup team.

Rodriguez was perhaps best known for fairway antics that included twirling his club like a sword, sometimes referred to as his “matador routine,” or doing a celebratory dance, often with a shuffling salsa step, after making a birdie putt.

BASKETBALL

NBA: The Boston Celtics have officially lost their first member of the 2023-2024 title team one month into the offseason with the Jazz agreeing to a four-year deal with Celtics free agent guard Svi Mykhailiuk worth $15 million, according to reports. It’s unlikely the final three years of the deal are fully guaranteed.

Mykhailiuk, 27, played a single season with the Celtics after signing with Boston for the league minimum last summer. He appeared in 41 games, averaging 4.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per game, largely in mop-up duty in blowout wins. Mykhailiuk did play well when he got chances, shooting 38.9 percent from 3-point range but a loaded backcourt that was constantly healthy limited meaningful opportunities for the sharpshooter.

The Celtics have brought back 13 players from their title team last year but Mykhailiuk has looked like the odd man out since draft night after the team selected Baylor Scheierman with the 30th overall pick.

TENNIS

BANK OPEN: Top-seeded defending champion Jannik Sinner advanced to the National Bank Open quarterfinals Saturday in Montreal, beating Alejandro Tabilo of Chile 6-4, 6-3 in the rain-delayed tournament and was scheduled to face fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia on Saturday night.

Rain washed out all play Friday as remnants of Tropical Storm Debby rolled through.

Kei Nishikori of Japan beat Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-4 to set up a quarterfinal match against Matteo Arnaldi of Italy on Saturday night. Sebastian Korda of the United States, the winner last week in Washington, moved on to the quarterfinals after sixth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway withdrew because of illness.

SOCCER

PREMIER LEAGUE: Tottenham completed the signing of striker Dominic Solanke from Premier League rival Bournemouth on Saturday in a deal worth a reported $83 million.

Solanke, who has played one match for England, has signed a six-year contract and makes the move a week before the start of the new Premier League season. While the fee was undisclosed, Bournemouth said it was a “significant financial package – the largest the club has ever received for a player.” British media reported Tottenham will pay $70 million up front, plus $12.75 million in potential add-ons.

“After Dominic’s performances for us – in particular his impressive 2023-24 season – it has come as no surprise that a team of Tottenham’s caliber has shown an interest,” Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake said. “This move has developed quickly but Dominic has remained professional throughout and I’d like to thank him for that.”

Solanke scored 77 goals in 214 appearances for Bournemouth over five years.

• France defender Jean-Clair Todibo joined West Ham on a season-long loan from Nice on Saturday, completing a remodeled center-back partnership for the English club ahead of the start of the Premier League.

The deal for the 24-year-old Todibo, who played for Barcelona when aged 19, contains an option to make the transfer permanent for a reported $43.6 million in the offseason of 2025. Max Kilman, another center back, has also joined West Ham in this window for around $50 million, along with Germany striker Niclas Füllkrug and four other players.

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