‘It’s crazy’: KFT rookie on what it was like winning in his professional debut

The trail to success in professional golf is commonly lengthy and winding. Certain, there are exceptions (suppose Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth)however for many, it takes some time to search out success on the skilled degree.

That is partly because of the construction of professional golf. For years, there have been restricted choices for developments by the professional ranks. You both went by Q college and labored your means up by the event circuits, otherwise you took benefit of your early sponsor exemptions and earned a card in restricted begins.

Now, there’s a completely different path to the PGA Tour, and it comes courtesy of PGA Tour U. Via this new program, golfers who play properly sufficient in faculty can start their skilled careers with some standing after they graduate, making issues a bit simpler at the start of their careers.

One such participant who’s taken benefit of this program is Ricky Castillo (pronounced cuh-STILL-ee-oo). The 22-year-old graduated from the College of Florida this spring, and because of his play for the Gators, he jumped to the Korn Ferry Tour straight out of faculty.

In his first begin on the KFT, Castillo received the Wichita Open, turning into the most recent younger expertise to search out early success within the skilled ranks.

“Truthfully, I wasn’t even enthusiastic about profitable or something like that,” Castillo stated on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar. “I used to be simply excited to play within the occasion. My first purpose was simply to make the lower.”

Castillo completed that purpose — due to a 62 in Spherical 2 — after which took it a step additional. He fired two rounds of 66 on the weekend to get right into a three-way playoff for his first professional title.

“The entire sudden I used to be on the 18th gap and I appeared on the leaderboard and noticed that I used to be tied [for the lead],” he stated. “Ended up going to a playoff and profitable in opposition to Kyle Jones and Adrian [Dumont De Chassart].”

Castillo made par on the additional gap, whereas his two opponents made bogeys, clinching the title and incomes him a two-year exemption on the KFT. He additionally earned 500 factors and presently ranks twenty sixth on the KFT factors checklist.

“It’s loopy how issues simply transfer so quick,” he stated. “It’s been nice.”

You possibly can take heed to the complete episode of GOLF’s Subpar beneath.

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com the place he spends his days running a blog, producing and enhancing. Previous to becoming a member of the group at GOLF, he attended the College of Texas adopted by stops with the Texas Golf Affiliation, Staff USA, the Inexperienced Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all issues instruction and covers novice and girls’s golf. He will be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.