any thing chi-chi related will be blogged about....

CONCORD -- Amid a gathering of 78 distinguished gentlemen, an absentee remains among the most noticeable. Chi Chi Rodriguez will not be participating in the Bank of America Championship at Nashawtuc Country Club this weekend. Depending on one's perspective, he is a victim either of injustice or of pride.

Or, perhaps, of both.

``It's unfortunate because that was my favorite tournament on tour,'' Rodriguez said yesterday by phone from El Legado, his home golf club in his native Puerto Rico.

``I miss my friends, I miss the course and I miss the fans,'' Rodriguez continued. ``They should have had me there under the terms that I earned, which they've taken away from me.''

While the PGA essentially has created special rules that will allow Nicklaus and Palmer to play competitive golf for as long as they like - that standard is based on career victories - Rodriguez has fallen victim to other standards. While his play has suffered in recent years, Rodriguez in 2004 saw his tour ranking dip to 183rd. And because his scoring average was more than 5 strokes higher than the field average in the seven tournaments he entered, he lost the exempt status that allowed him to play wherever and whenever he liked.