Kentucky women’s golfer Jensen Castle looks for her historic summer to fuel fall season
LEXINGTON, Ky. (BVM) — University of Kentucky junior golfer Jensen Castle had one of the best summers for a golfer in the entire country. This is a fact that can’t be debated as she has numerous tournament victories, including winning the women’s Amateur and helping Team USA win an international competition.
“It was a great summer,” Castle said. “I made a lot of memories from traveling or just working and I’m super excited for this school year with my teammates.”
If what Castle did during the United States Golf Association 2021 Women’s Amateur was the NCAA’s March Madness, it would likely have been dubbed the biggest Cinderella story of all time. That’s because what Castle did was so incredibly unbelievable. Despite having to win a playoff, rally from behind on numerous occasions, defeat the NCAA individual champion and win a high-pressure championship round, Castle was able to accomplish it all as the No. 63 ranked player in the Round of 64, becoming the first No. 63 to ever win the tournament’s coveted Robert Cox trophy.
“It was an exhausting, grueling week, especially with my rib and blisters, but the USGA did a great job running it,” Castle said. “I had a ton of fun playing with my competitors and it was a great learning experience and great week.”
By her own admission, UK’s first-ever U.S. Women’s Amateur champion did not anticipate being in the tournament long. By the day of the first cut, it appeared that Castle, who was battling a rib injury, was closer to correct than not, as she was one of 12 players who finished 6 over par, forcing a 12-for-2 one-hole playoff where only the two top scorers on the hole would advance.
“Going into it I was more worried about what the doctor was saying and my work schedule,” Castle admitted. “I was like ‘Yeah I’ll work Wednesday because I’m not making the cut.’ … Just to be given the opportunity to win with no expectations was super special.”
Playing on the par-3, 166-yard first hole of the course at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y,, Castle and her Wildcats’ teammate Marissa Wenzler both had birdies, giving them the two final spots in the Round of 64, a strong showing for the UK program.
“I literally get chills,” Castle said of the moment. “I knew if she made it, it’s sealed and we’re in. She made it and I ran out there, I was so excited for her. It was so special for her to get in with me, especially with [our teammate] Laney Frye being there. …It was the highlight of my week.”
This is what it's all about 😭@KentuckyWGolf teammates @MarissaWenzler and @jensen_castle are on to #USWomensAm match play! pic.twitter.com/tUEnWPXfHg
— USGA (@USGA) August 4, 2021
The task wouldn’t get any easier for Castle and her fellow Wildcat as the pair would face the top two seeds in the tournament in the first round of match play as Wenzler would face No. 1 seed Rachel Kuehn as the No. 64 seed and Castle would play No. 2 seed Kennedy Pedigo from SMU. After winning the first two holes of the match, Castle would ease to a 3&2 victory in the first round of match play, advancing to the Round of 32 where she’d defeat Sophie Linder 1-up before beating Georgia’s Jenny Bae 4 and 2 in the Round of 16 the following day.
Though expecting to face stiffer competition in the later rounds, Castle cruised to an easy win against Virginia Tech’s Emily Mahar as she would win 6 and 5, setting up a semifinals match against the nation’s best golfer of the previous year in Stanford’s Emily Heck. As the reigning NCAA individual champion, Heck gave Castle a heck of a fight for a spot in the tournament final.
During the round, Castle would find herself down two holes to Heck with only three remaining. However, the rising junior would not give in, rallying to win hole 16, splitting hole 17 and winning hole 18 to force extra holes against Heck. In the first extra hole, Castle birdied which gave her the win and advanced her to the finals.
Had so much fun with you today!!! Thanks for being an inspiration to so many! https://t.co/9w0VN96uVn
— Jensen Castle (@jensen_castle) August 7, 2021
Castle faced Arizona’s Vivian Hou in the 36-hole final and found herself once again facing long odds. Trailing the No. 53 seed by two holes after 18, Castle once again found her groove as she tied the match after three holes before taking the lead for good at hole 21, eventually winning 2 2 and 1.
“I was in a great mental spot, just being there, eating the food, still being in New York, it was just an amazing experience and I was super grateful and I think it helped me,” Castle said. “I didn’t even realize it was over. I was mentally so ready for another match so it was like, ‘Oh my gosh! It’s over?’”
For the win, Castle earned a number of accolades including a gold medal and custody of the Robert Cox Trophy for one year and an invitation to the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur with the win. She was also named a member of the eight-player roster for the USA Curtis Cup team which took place at Conway Golf Club in North Wales from Aug. 26-28.
“I was so excited to represent the United States,” Castle said. “It was such a quick turnaround from the am[ateur] so I didn’t have much hype or expectation going into it. It was literally about a week from the am then I turned around to Wales. I’m just grateful I got the opportunity.”
At the tournament, Castle’s trend of coming back was on full display. After she and Team USA trailed 4.5-1.5 on the first day of the tournament Thursday, the team won 12.5 to 7.5 over Great Britain and Ireland. At the center of the comeback was Castle, who won 1.5 points on Friday to even the match heading into the weekend and then rallied from down three with four holes left to halve her singles battle and earn another half point, which proved to be a difference-maker come tournament end.
“We were so excited, especially with how we started the first day because we were down a lot,” Castle said. “When we were able to pull together and we won a lot of the single matches that final day we were all super excited and super happy to be together and bring it back to the United States.”
With her next collegiate season on the horizon, expect the U.S. Amateur champion along with her returning Wildcats teammates of Wenzler and Frye, who also made it into the tournament’s round of 64, to help the team build on its finish from last year when the team made its first NCAA golf championships since 1992. The trio will look to grow the program even further, but they aren’t putting any pressure on the year.
“I think if we have any expectations, we’re not going to play that well,” Castle said. “Yes, we all had great summers this year, but it’s all about bringing it together and playing together and striving off each other with great team chemistry. That first time you have expectation to do something, it’s going to be even harder to perform your best and I think as a team we’re good with not having expectations so I don’t think it will be a problem. We’re all ready to get going!”
This time last week @jensen_castle was making her defining move of the #USWomensAm. What a run it was and what a week it's been for Jensen. 😼 pic.twitter.com/E3FfqJVwLB
— Kentucky Women’s Golf (@KentuckyWGolf) August 15, 2021
