U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

May 31, 2021

Jensen Castle

The Olympic Club

Quick Quotes

Q. How was the golf course today?

JENSEN CASTLE: Oh, it's good. It's so pretty. The rough is extremely thick, but it's scorable. The greens are fast, which is how I like it. It's going to be a great week.

Q. Sounds like it's going to be a challenge.

JENSEN CASTLE: It's definitely going to be a challenge, but what would you expect with the USGA?

Q. To get to where you are, you must be playing pretty good right now.

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, I had a good round whenever I qualified. You have good and bad days with golf, but I'm playing pretty solid, definitely.

Q. You qualified through a playoff?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, there was a two-hole playoff.

Q. Did you make birdie or how did that go?

JENSEN CASTLE: We both birdied the first, and then the second I parred and she bogeyed.

Q. And you didn't play?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yes, at Maridoe, USGA four-ball. We made it to the quarterfinals maybe.

Q. Where was that played?

JENSEN CASTLE: At Maridoe in Texas.

Q. You're seeing the country then.

JENSEN CASTLE: Yes, oh, my gosh, the past few weeks -- this is actually my seventh week in a row and I didn't realize it. We were in Arizona last week and then Maridoe in Texas and then Ohio the week after. It's crazy. But I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Q. Last summer because of COVID it was limited opportunities; what did you do last summer? I know you had a four-ball or two, but other than that --

JENSEN CASTLE: Yep, so I played the Four-Ball with Rachel Kuehn, and then I played in the LNGA tournament in Tennessee, and then North-South, and then I also played in the Amateur and made it to the round of 32.

Q. So you had a pretty good season.

JENSEN CASTLE: It wasn't as good as last year but it was a great season. A lot of my teammates played really well. We ended up making it to the nationals in Arizona last week, which is the first time we made it there in 29 or 32 years. I think it was 29 years. But that was the first time we made it there as a team in 29 years.

Q. Will most of your teammates be back next year?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yes, all five of us that played at nationals all year will be back. We have a really, really young team. We have four of us that are all going to graduate at the same time, and then we have one senior this coming year, so it'll be her last year.

Q. You're in pretty good shape there.

JENSEN CASTLE: Yes, very, very young team.

Q. Playing in the U.S. Women's Open, obviously this is the biggest tournament you've played in.

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, this is a big tournament. It's definitely the biggest one I've played in. This is a bigger step in my golfing career. At the end of the day it's just another tournament, but there's a lot better players here for sure. Not even a comparison actually.

Q. What will you do the rest of the summer?

JENSEN CASTLE: After this I'm actually going to play in the Four-Ball again this summer with Rachel Kuehn at Orangeburg. I'm going to play in the North-South, and then I'm going to play in the Women's Western, and then hopefully I get into the Am, as well. Actually I'm taking a job at Columbia Country Club this summer, so I'll work there.

Q. Is your family in San Francisco?

JENSEN CASTLE: They are not. My coach at Kentucky is here and one of my teammates is caddying for me.

Q. When will you get back home, after this?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, after this I'll come straight home to South Carolina and start working, and then I'll be working there for three or four weeks, and then I'll leave for my next tournament.

Q. Where do you work when you're back at home?

JENSEN CASTLE: Where do I work? Like practice?

Q. Yeah.

JENSEN CASTLE: Columbia Country Club.

Q. Who is your coach there? Do you have a swing coach there?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, he's out of Charleston, Ricky Sullivan.

Q. Sounds like things are going very well for you on the golf course.

JENSEN CASTLE: Yes, golf is busy, and having fun, enjoying every moment.