Jensen Castle
| Jensen Castle | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born | February 21, 2001 West Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||
| Career | |||
| College | University of Kentucky | ||
| Turned professional | 2024 | ||
| Best results in LPGA major championships | |||
| Chevron Championship | DNP | ||
| Women's PGA C'ship | DNP | ||
| U.S. Women's Open | CUT: 2021, 2022 | ||
| Women's British Open | DNP | ||
| Evian Championship | CUT: 2022 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
Jensen Castle (born February 21, 2001) is an American amateur golfer. She won the 2021 U.S. Women's Amateur.
Early life, college and amateur career
[edit]Castle grew up in West Columbia, South Carolina. She was one of the top amateur golfers in the country during her high school years, and was ranked 4th by the AJGA in the class of 2019. She won the South Carolina Class State Championship in 2016 and again in 2018, where shot a two-day state tournament record 137 and won by 10 strokes.[1]
In 2019, Castle lost a playoff to Ingrid Lindblad at the 2019 Annika Invitational USA, and finished second at PGA of America's Girl's Junior PGA Championship in Hartford, Connecticut, two strokes behind Yuka Saso. She was a member of the East squad that won the 2019 Wyndham Cup.[2]
Castle enrolled at the University of Kentucky in 2019 and played with the Kentucky Wildcats women's golf team 2019–2024, where she was named to the All-SEC First Team and All-American.[1]
In 2021, Castle won the U.S. Women's Amateur at Westchester Country Club in New York, becoming the first number 63 seed to lift the Robert Cox Trophy. Plagued by a rib injury, she started despite doctors' recommendations, and opened the week with a seven-over-par 79 in the first round of stroke play.[3] She then prevailed in a 12-for-2 playoff to reach match play, and came back from deficits in three of six matches to defeat reigning NCAA individual champion Rachel Heck in the semi-finals, and eventually claim the trophy over former world number one Yu-Chiang Hou, winning 2 and 1 in the 36-hole championship match.[4] She earned a start at the 2021 Cognizant Founders Cup on the LPGA Tour where she did not make the cut.[5]
Castle appeared at the Augusta National Women's Amateur three times, and advanced to the final round at Augusta National Golf Club twice, finishing T-12 in 2022 and T-26 in 2023.[6][7]
She won the Curtis Cup with the U.S. national team twice, in 2021 and 2022.[8]
Professional career
[edit]Castle turned professional in 2024. She made her professional debut at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship on the Epson Tour.[9]
Amateur wins
[edit]- 2016 South Carolina Class State Championship
- 2018 South Carolina Class State Championship, Carolinas Junior Girls PGA Championship
- 2020 Carolinas Women's Four-Ball Championship (with Rachel Kuehn)
- 2021 Carolinas Women's Four-Ball Championship (with Rachel Kuehn)
- 2021 U.S. Women's Amateur
- 2022 Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invite
Results in LPGA majors
[edit]| Tournament | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| ANA Inspiration | ||
| U.S. Women's Open | CUT | CUT |
| Women's PGA Championship | ||
| The Evian Championship | CUT | |
| Women's British Open |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
U.S. national team appearances
[edit]Amateur
- Curtis Cup: 2021 (winners), 2022 (winners)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Women's Golf Roster: Jensen Castle". University of Kentucky. November 19, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ a b "Jensen Castle". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Dougherty, Mike (August 6, 2021). "'Doctors didn't even really want me to play': Jensen Castle overcomes rib injury to advance to U.S. Women's Amateur semifinals". Golfweek. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ "Castle completes improbable run to U.S. Women's Amateur title". Golf Australia. August 9, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Women's Amateur Champion, Jensen Castle, and The John Shippen Shootout Winner, Amari Avery, Earn Exemptions into LPGA's Cognizant Founders Cup". LPGA Tour. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ "Jensen Castle". Augusta National Women's Amateur. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Woodard, Adam (March 29, 2023). "Kentucky's Jensen Castle in contention at 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur despite injury flare up". Golfweek. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ "USA retains Curtis Cup". Golf Australia. June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Otto, Luke (June 5, 2024). "Lindblad, Avery, and Castle Among the 15 Players Making Their Rookie Debuts". Epson Tour.
External links
[edit]- Jensen Castle at the World Amateur Golf Ranking official site