AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

March 30, 2023

Jensen Castle

Quick Quotes

Q. You overcame adversity after adversity today. How did you do that?

JENSEN CASTLE: Patience I suppose. You know, I also realized how much golf I had left. I had a few doubles, and knowing you have nine more holes, three more holes when I bogeyed 16, just knowing two more holes, kind of counting down and knowing it's all going to work out at the end of the day.

Q. Did you know where you were at around that cut line when you were making that eight-footer?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, you know, Augusta National Women's Am does a great job displaying the leaderboards in great parts of the golf course, especially coming down the stretch. I was aware of it on 16, 14, and I mean, I hit the ball long on 18 and I have a great look at it while I'm putting.

Yeah, I knew I was already out of it tied at 32 when had that putt.

Q. Were you in any pain today, and does the adrenaline help?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, so it's so hard to tell when you're in pain when your adrenaline is that high. Right now my heartbeat is crazy. I couldn't tell you if it's hurting. I'll get treatment regardless, because a lot of people probably suggest that, but I'll find out later how I'm really feeling once I calm down and it's secured.

Q. Take us through the last hole.

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, you know, I piped a drive. Hit a great little 5-iron and I had -- I think we were trying to play 47 yards on the wedge shot.

I hit a great wedge shot. Rolled out a little further than I expected. Not going to lie.

Got up there, saw an absolute slider. I was like, not ideal. It's straight downgrain and I putted it about four feet and knew it was in immediately.

Q. Say something about what it means to be able to not just play but compete at Augusta National?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, I'm super excited to compete at Augusta National. This is one the best fields in amateur golf, and to be so close to home, to get to wear blue and white on Saturday, and to have that support means the world. I couldn't have chosen a better school.

Growing up in South Carolina it's super hard with the SEC rivalry, but everyone knows what home is and Kentucky has been home from me.

Q. What kind of treatment did you get yesterday?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, yeah, I got some heat and massage. When say massage, it wasn't a feel-good massage. They went in there and broke up the tissue, but it was good.

Q. You have a great sense of humor. How do you keep it light on a day like this?

JENSEN CASTLE: Keep it light?

Q. Yeah.

JENSEN CASTLE: That's a great question. I don't know. What do you mean by keep it light?

Q. Keeping the positive attitude.

JENSEN CASTLE: That's a really good question. Yeah, I don't know. It's something I've always done growing up. It's really hard to trust that you're one out of it with one to play and just put yourself in position and now it's going to equal out.

That's just something I've always done and very thankful that I do that. It could be the other way around and that does not help with the game of golf.

Q. Are you as positive inside your head as outward?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, absolutely. This isn't an act. This is legit. This is legit how I think in my head. Like you have nine holes. I didn't make the putt on 17. I went to 18 knowing if I out myself in position it will work out, because it's the same thing with the Women's Amateur. Got into a playoff, but I missed a six-footer on the final stroke play hole. I was like, how did that not go in?

Okay, it will work out in the playoff, you know what I mean? It's like calming, everything equals out end of the day.

I also compare it to like you're in a hurry and you're driving down the road and you hit every freaking stop light. It's like one of those days. It's just like perspective in my opinion.

Q. Do you have many stop lights where you're from?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yeah, unfortunately Columbia has a lot of stop lights.

Q. What's the outlook on Saturday? What will be the goal?

JENSEN CASTLE: Goal is to have fun and appreciate being there. You cut it to 30, obviously you want to compete, but I play my best when I'm not chasing leaderboards. I'm playing my own game, putting myself in position. Putts are going to fall and just very patient. I know that's how I play my best golf and that's what I'll do.

Q. You've been teammates with Rose Zhang before. Give us a behind-the-scenes Rose.

JENSEN CASTLE: Rose is the most humble, sweet person that I know. Just so sweet and so genuine. It is so cool to -- it's one of those things it's so cool to see her play well.

It could be the other way around, being the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world and you're like they're not humble. They're very stuck up about it. That is not close to Rose at all. She's very humble. You wouldn't know that if everyone else didn't always talk about it.

It's so cool and I'm so proud of her for how far she's come.

Q. Does it surprise you that she'll play two years of college golf?

JENSEN CASTLE: No, not one bit.

Q. Why?

JENSEN CASTLE: It's NIL, and an experience you need. Personally for me I learned so much about myself in college, whether it's relationships, friendships, or just golf.

I think it varies for every individual, but in any opinion everyone should go to college, whether it's a year or four. But also NIL helps so much nowadays.

She's doing so well in NIL. As she should. Why rush to the pro scene when you can enjoy learning more about yourself, having friendships and teammates that are going to last forever? They'll be in your wedding.

It's the little things in my opinion. So I don't know what she'll do moving forward, but I think it's a great decision to stay for the two years and learn so much.

Q. Maybe comparing it to the men's game, what kind of impact do you think Rose can make on women's professional golf? Like maybe a comp to the men's game.

JENSEN CASTLE: I think she's always made so much. With her resume, I was talking to someone yesterday about her resume and how hard to is to continue to play well with expectations. She does a great job managing that. So I think once people look at her resume and see what all she's still doing, that's pretty powerful.

Obviously golf is a mental game, but just navigating that itself, that was difficult for me in the beginning. Kudos to her and all that she continues to do. I think it's a huge impact, especially in comparison to the men's game.

Q. Like Tiger Woods?

JENSEN CASTLE: Yes, absolutely.