FRENCH LICK, Ind. – Former Florida Gators golfer
Ricky Castillo (cuh-STILL-ee-oh) is #TOURBound. The 2023 SEC and National Champion earned his PGA Tour Card, finishing 26th in the points list after wrapping up the Korn Ferry Tour Championship on Sunday.
It marks the third consecutive year a Gator earns their PGA Tour Card with Tyson Alexander in 2022 and Alejandro Tosti in 2023.
After shooting a 75 (+3) and 74 (+2) in the first two rounds, Castillo came back with a 70 (-2) in round three to hold steady and stay inside the top-30 points list as only 13 spots (No. 19-30) were up for grabs this weekend as the previous 17 (No. 1-18) players had already qualified to earn their PGA Tour Cards. He finished the final event of the season tied for 51st.
Castillo had a strong first full season on the Korn Ferry Tour, playing in 25 events, making 19 cuts with one runner-up, four top-10 and seven top-25 finishes, only missing five cuts (no cut in KFT Championship).
The native of Yorba Linda, Calif., became a member of the Korn Ferry Tour after finishing 53rd in the KFT points list in 2023. Castillo acquired KFT status after leading Florida to SEC and National Championship titles through PGA Tour U. He closed out his final collegiate season placing 9th in the final PGA TOUR U rankings, which earned conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2023.
Eighteen days after he finished T11 and was undefeated in match play at NCAAs, he won his professional debut at Wichita Open via a three-way playoff. Castillo played 11 events Korn Ferry Tour events in 2023 and made eight cuts with one win, one top-10 and two top-25 outings.
Castillo was a four-year member (2020-23) of the Florida men’s golf team and left a legacy. He played in every tournament (41) and round (126) in his career and finished as the program’s leader in career stroke average with 71.15. With his name scattered throughout the UF record book, he was a three-time All-American, four-time All-SEC, four-time PING All-Region, 2020 National and SEC Freshman of the Year, Two-time Arnold Palmer Cup participant, 2021 Walker Cup Team member and finalist for the Ben Hogan and Haskins Award.
He left an iconic memory at Grayhawk Golf Club a celebratory fist bump after winning his match in 21 holes in the NCAA National Championship Semifinals against Florida State to complete a 3-2 comeback victory and send the Gators to the finals where they defeated Georgia Tech 3-1 for the program’s fifth national title and first since 2001. Castillo was two down through 15 holes in the semifinals match before he tied it up with a par on the16th (173 yards) par-3, and then birdie on the 17th (405 yards), after he drove the green.