Jensen Castle Explained

Jensen Castle
Birth Date:21 February 2001
Birth Place:West Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
College:University of Kentucky
Yearpro:2024
Nabisco:DNP
Lpga:DNP
Wusopen:CUT: 2021, 2022
Wbritopen:DNP
Evian:CUT: 2022
Award1:Kentucky Golf Association
Women's Player of the Year
Year1:2021

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

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.

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.

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.[2] 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.[3] She earned a start at the 2021 Cognizant Founders Cup on the LPGA Tour where she did not make the cut.[4]

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.[5] [6]

She won the Curtis Cup with the U.S. national team twice, in 2021 and 2022.[7]

Professional career

Castle turned professional in 2024. She made her professional debut at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship on the Epson Tour.Web site: Lindblad, Avery, and Castle Among the 15 Players Making Their Rookie Debuts . Epson Tour . Luke . Otto . June 5, 2024.

Amateur wins

Source:[1] [8]

Results in LPGA majors

Tournament20212022
ANA Inspiration
U.S. Women's OpenCUTCUT
Women's PGA Championship
The Evian ChampionshipCUT
CUT = missed the half-way cut

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

2021 (winners), 2022 (winners)

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Women's Golf Roster: Jensen Castle . November 19, 2018 . University of Kentucky . June 2, 2024.
  2. Dougherty . Mike . 'Doctors didn't even really want me to play': Jensen Castle overcomes rib injury to advance to U.S. Women's Amateur semifinals . Golfweek . June 2, 2024 . August 6, 2021.
  3. Web site: Castle completes improbable run to U.S. Women's Amateur title . Golf Australia . 2 June 2024 . August 9, 2021.
  4. Web site: 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 . June 2, 2024.
  5. Web site: Jensen Castle . Augusta National Women's Amateur . June 2, 2024.
  6. Woodard . Adam . Kentucky's Jensen Castle in contention at 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur despite injury flare up . Golfweek . June 2, 2024 . March 29, 2023.
  7. Web site: USA retains Curtis Cup . Golf Australia . June 2, 2024 . June 13, 2022.
  8. Web site: Jensen Castle . World Amateur Golf Ranking . 2 June 2024.