Jensen Castle reflects on improbable US Women’s Amateur win on eve of 2022 tournament
Jensen Castle headed to the U.S. Women’s Amateur this time last year with a rib injury and low expectations, a combination that led her to pack light for the trip to the championship at Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York.
At 248th in the world ranking and with little practice due to the stress fracture, what chance did she have?
She headed to this year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur in University Place, Washington feeling much better physically, at No. 42 among the world’s women’s amateurs — and, ahem, the defending champion.
“The game is good,” said Castle, a West Columbia resident who graduated from Gray Collegiate and will be a senior at the University of Kentucky this fall. She laughed and added, “My situation is a lot different this year.”
Indeed, she illustrated the truth in the “anything-can-happen-in-golf” adage in the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur. She squeezed into match play bracket, earning the 63rd of 64 seeds in the draw in a 12-players-for-two-spots playoff. Then she won and won and won and soon enough raised the Robert Cox championship trophy.
“A few writers have called it a Cinderella story and really it was,” Castle said in reflecting on her triumph. “The rib injury, not packing enough clothes. ... It’s crazy, a great example of what golf can be like. Anything can happen.”
Anything? Yes. In the semifinal, she eliminated Rachel Heck, No. 2 in the world rankings, in extra holes after Heck missed a short putt on No. 18 that would have closed out the match. In the 36-hole final, she came from behind to bounce Yu-Chiang (Vivian) Hou, a former world’s No. 1 who plays at the University of Arizona.
The triumph opened the door for multiple high-level opportunities, and her championship year has been a whirlwind of activity. She represented the United States on the victorious 2021 and 2022 Curtis Cup teams, received an exemption into the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open, played in the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur and took on the pros in the Founders Cup and the Evian Championship.
“Just great experiences,” said Castle, who finished 12th in the Augusta National tournament that features the strongest field in women’s amateur golf. “It’s surreal to hear people say, ‘That’s the U.S. Amateur champion.’ That took a while to get used to.”
In addition, she played her full college schedule and posted three top-10 finishes in 10 tournaments.
An unforgettable moment came at UK’s Kroger Field at the Wildcats’ football game against Florida. Introduced to the crowd by the public address announcer, she went on the field to show off the Robert Cox trophy.
“A really cool moment,” she said. “The fans were great. And we won the game, too.”
She returns to Lexington — the one in Kentucky — later this month to complete credits for her bachelor’s degree and will begin work on her MBA in the spring. She plans to take advantage of the COVID-provided fifth year of eligibility before embarking on her long-time goal of playing professional golf.
Meanwhile, there’s another U.S. Amateur to be played, beginning Monday at Chambers Bay, site of the 2015 U.S. Open. That came into focus when she had to ship the Robert Cox trophy back to the USGA last month.
She flew to the West Coast on Friday, and this time she packed to an extended stay — just in case.
Chip shots. The South Carolina Women’s Open will be played Friday to Sunday at Cobblestone Park GC in Blythewood. “We’re looking forward to another great tournament,” said Clarissa Childs, executive director of the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association. ... In addition to Castle, Palmetto State golfers in the U.S. Women’s Amateur include Sophia Burnett (Bluffton/Furman), Emily Dunlap (Greenville/College of Charleston) and Clemson players Savannah Grewal and Annabelle Pancake. ... Drew Jeffords (Florence) edged Matthew Baxley (North Augusta) by one stroke to win the boys’ division in the SCJGA’s Jimmy Self Invitational at Palmetto Dunes’ George Fazio Courses on Hilton Head Island. In the girls’ competition, Anne Fernandez (Bluffton) dominated in forging her third straight SCJGA win of the summer. ... The Georgia team carved out a 10-6 victory over the South Carolina squad at Savannah GC in Savannah, Georgia. The competition, in its 47th year, features top juniors from each state.
