Ricky Castillo’s practice at his local course, TPC Sawgrass, paid off as his win at the Puerto Rico Open sees him play there this week in The Players.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For a lot of players on the PGA Tour, playing at TPC Sawgrass is a once-a-year thing. The same can’t be said for Jacksonville resident Ricky Castillo.
“I usually play this course a decent amount when I’m back in town,” Castillo said. “It’s a great golf course just to practice, and you never know, just in case I was going to play in The Players.”
As it turns out, that practice wasn’t for nothing. On Sunday, the former Florida Gators men’s golf standout won the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour title and a spot in his backyard tournament.
“It was always a dream of mine to win, and to have that 6-foot putt to win the tournament is an awesome feeling I’ll never forget,” Castillo said.
This will be Castillo’s second start at The Players Championship. A year ago, he got in as an alternate. Safe to say it means a whole lot more this time around.
“It [last year] was kind of just a last-minute thing. It was crazy,” Castillo said. “I just feel a lot better. I feel like I earned my spot this week, I didn’t just end up getting in.”
The 24-year-old turned pro in 2023 after a career at Florida that saw him earn four-time All-SEC honors, three-time All-American recognition and help the Gators win the program’s fifth national championship – all of it laying the platform for the success he’s finding now.
“I had some rough spots in college, where I mean it’s definitely helped me a lot,” Castillo said. “Sometimes those difficult times can teach you more, so I definitely learned a lot from that.”
The win in Puerto Rico marked the 100th by a former Gator on the PGA Tour. Castillo said he’s spoken with his former Florida head coach, J. C. Deacon, who hoped to make it to TPC Sawgrass to watch him play. Unfortunately, he’s tied up with recruiting and trying to find the next Ricky Castillo.