José de Jesús Rodríguez Martínez (born 22 January 1981) is a Mexican

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who currently plays on the

Korn Ferry Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. ...

. Rodríguez has previously played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

PGA Tour Canada PGA Tour Canada, commonly referred to as the Canadian Tour, was a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The United States–based PGA Tour took over operation of the tour on November 1, 2012, at which time it was renamed ...

PGA Tour Latinoamérica PGA Tour Latinoamérica was a third level professional golf tour formed in 2012 and operated by the PGA Tour. It was formed in concert with the now also defunct Tour de las Américas. Executives from the Tour de las Américas became employees of ...

, and the

Tour de las Américas The Tour de las Américas (TLA) was the principal men's professional golf tour throughout Latin America and the Caribbean from 2000 through to 2012 when it was superseded by the PGA Tour Latinoamérica. History Top level tournament golf in Lat ...

Background

Rodríguez grew up in poverty in Irapuato, Mexico. He was one of seven siblings who slept shoulder-to-shoulder on the dirt floor of their one-room, bathroom-less adobe home. At the age of 12, he dropped out of school and began caddying full-time at Club de Golf Santa Margarita. That club is where he learned to golf. At the age of 15, Rodríguez crossed into the United States illegally by crossing the Rio Grande river. He worked in the U.S. for 10 years, mostly at a country club in

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, Arkansas, Washington County, and the most populous city in Northwest Arkansas. The city ...

as part of the maintenance crew. He worked six or seven days per week and did not have the time or money to golf. Rodríguez sent most of his pay home to Irapuato, allowing his parents to build two homes on their piece of property. In 2006, at the age of 26, he returned to Irapuato, Mexico and began caddying again at Club de Golf Santa Margarita. Rodríguez ultimately met Alfonso Vallejo Esquivel, a wealthy club member, who saw his talent and offered to buy Rodríguez a membership at the course. Esquivel ultimately staked Rodríguez and allowed him to get his start as a pro golfer on the Mexican Tour in 2007. Rodríguez's nickname is Camarón (shrimp), because despite his complexion, his cheeks redden in the sun.

Professional career

Rodríguez turned professional in 2007 and mainly played on the Mexican Tour during 2008, although he did make three starts on the

Canadian Tour PGA Tour Canada, commonly referred to as the Canadian Tour, was a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The United States–based PGA Tour took over operation of the tour on November 1, 2012, at which time it was renamed ...

making the cut in all three. He achieved his first professional win in 2008 winning the event hosted in

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

on the Mexican Tour. In 2009, Rodríguez played an increased schedule on the Canadian Tour but failed to record a win in any events during the season. His form on the Canadian Tour improved in 2010 where, despite a winless season, he achieved three top-three finishes in just eight starts. His good form in 2010 was also apparent on the Mexican Tour in 2010 where he achieved four victories. 2011 was a very successful season for Rodríguez on the Canadian Tour where he won consecutive events at the

Mexican PGA Championship Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

and

Times Colonist Island Savings Open The Victoria Open is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour Americas. It was previously a stop on the PGA Tour Canada before its merger with the PGA Tour Latinoamérica. It was the longest running tour event on the Canadian Tour. It has been played at s ...

and went on to win the Tour's Order of Merit. During the 2011 season, Rodríguez also won two events on the Mexican Tour taking him to a total of four wins for the season. In 2012, Rodríguez was granted membership on the inaugural season of

though his performances on the Mexican Tour and also played a reduced schedule on PGA Tour Canada. Despite not winning on either of the two development tours Rodríguez was able to win another two events on the Mexican Tour during 2012. In 2013, Rodríguez predominantly played on PGA Tour Latinoamérica and achieved his first victory at the

Roberto De Vicenzo Invitational Copa NEC The Roberto De Vicenzo Punta del Este Open Copa NEC was a men's professional golf tournament. First held in 2005 as the Roberto De Vicenzo Classic, it is named after one of Argentina's most successful golfers, Roberto De Vicenzo. The tournament h ...

which was quickly followed up with a second victory at the

Arturo Calle Colombian Classic The Colombian Classic is a men's professional golf tournament held in Colombia and has been part of the PGA Tour Latinoamérica schedule since 2012. The tournament was first played on PGA Tour Latinoamérica PGA Tour Latinoamérica was a third ...

. These two victories helped Rodríguez to a second place finish on the Tour's Order of Merit for 2013 which earned his playing card for the

Web.com Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. T ...

in 2014. During 2013, Rodríguez achieved a further four wins on the Mexican Tour taking his career haul to a record of 13 wins on the tour. Rodríguez had two wins on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica in 2017 and led the tour's Order of Merit, earning him a return to the Web.com Tour for 2018, this time with full status. In April 2018, Rodríguez won the

United Leasing & Finance Championship The United Leasing & Finance Championship was a golf tournament on the Web.com Tour. It was organized and run by the Evansville Sports Corporation and played at the Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana. It was first held in 2012 from Ju ...

. He ended the 2018 season with enough money to qualify for the

2019 PGA Tour Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * ''19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * ''Dician ...

. He made three of his first five cuts on the PGA Tour during the 2019 season, but finished the season 177th in the points list, necessitating a return to the Korn Ferry Tour for its 2020 season.

Professional wins (37)

Web.com Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour Americas wins (1)

Canadian Tour wins (2)

PGA Tour Latinoamérica wins (6)

Gira de Golf Profesional Mexicana wins (11)

Colombian Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour Latinoamérica Developmental Series wins (1)

Mexico Golf Tour wins (14)

* 2008 Puebla * 2010 Guadalajara, Mazatlan, Puebla, Mexico City * 2011 Guadalajara, Torreon * 2012 Yucatan, Monterrey * 2013 Yucatan, Veracruz, San Luis Potosi, Chihuahua * 2018 Queretaro

Team appearances

Professional *

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

(representing Mexico):

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Aruba Cup The Aruba Cup was an annual team golf competition between teams representing PGA Tour Latinoamérica and PGA Tour Canada. It was founded in 2016 and took place in December. The 2016 and 2017 events were held at the Tierra del Sol Resort, Spa & Cou ...

(representing

): 2017

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Jose de Jesus Mexican male golfers PGA Tour Latinoamérica golfers PGA Tour golfers Korn Ferry Tour graduates Competitors at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Mexico Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in golf Golfers from Guanajuato People from Irapuato 1981 births Living people 21st-century Mexican sportsmen