He was one of the first players from his country to have enjoyed success on the international circuit and was known as the "father of Brazilian golf".

[1][2] As an amateur, Gonzalez had a great deal of success and built a reputation around the world.

[1] In the 1948 Open Championship he was near the top of the leaderboard before a poor final round saw him finish 11th, which was still enough to tie for low amateur honours.

In 1961 he was asked to appear in the first edition of Shell's Wonderful World of Golf; in the match held at Gávea, he beat Billy Casper by three strokes.

His younger brother José Maria Gonzalez Filho was also an accomplished golfer, winning the Brazilian Amateur four times,[7] and his son Jaime Gonzalez has enjoyed a successful career playing on both the European Tour and PGA Tour.