Castle Named 2019 Rolex Junior All-American by AJGA
BRASELTON, Ga. – Already the highest-rated signee in Kentucky women’s golf history, freshman Jensen Castle added one more bullet point to her already decorated junior credentials with All-America honors this week.
Castle was named to the 2019 Rolex Junior All-America First Team on Monday by the American Junior Golf Association. The first-team honors, awarded to just 12 golfers from around the world, cements Castle’s legacy as one of the top junior golfers in the game.
Among a number of highlights that earned Castle All-America honors – all of which pre-date her success at Kentucky – she tied for second at the ANNIKA Invitational USA in January, posted a 2-1-1 record as a member of the victorious Wyndham Cup East Team in June, finished second at the Girls Junior PGA Championship later in June and placed third at the Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship in March.
Castle was a two-time individual state champion in high school, winning once at the 3A level and once at 5A. In 2018, she dominated the South Carolina Class 3A state championship with a 137, winning by 10 shots while setting the two-day state tournament record.
She also won the South Carolina 5A state title in 2016 at White Knoll High School, where she led the team to a state runner-up finish. Castle owns the nine- 18- and 36-hole school records at White Knoll, was a five-time All-State selection, a five-time All-Region pick (including one year on the boys’ team) and a three-time member of the Can-Am Junior Team.
In addition to her impressive showings at the ANNIKA, PGA Championship and Dustin Johnson tournament, she recorded a number of other top-10 AJGA finishes.
Those credentials earned Castle a ranking of No. 9 overall and No. 4 in the 2019 class by the AJGA when she enrolled at Kentucky. The program has never signed a prospect as highly regarded as Castle.
Introduced by the AJGA in 1978, the Rolex Junior All-America Teams annually recognize the world’s premier junior golfers. The 2019 Rolex Junior All-America Teams are comprised of 96 junior golfers, 48 boys and 48 girls, ages 14-19, from 25 states and eight countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela. The young men and women distinguished themselves through outstanding play in 135 national junior golf events, 120 of which were conducted by the AJGA. The teams were determined exclusively through the Rolex AJGA Rankings as of Oct. 15
Rolex Junior All-Americans have a long history of success. Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Lexi Thompson, Anna Nordqvist, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, and Inbee Park are among the many Rolex Junior All-Americans who’ve achieved in college and beyond.
The 2019 Rolex Junior All-America Teams will be honored Nov. 24 during the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet, live streamed from PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. “The Greatest Night in Junior Golf” will also celebrate the achievements of the AJGA’s Scholastic Junior All-America Team and Jerry Cole Sportsmanship Award recipient. The Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet also serves as the official start of Rolex Tournament of Champions week, the first official AJGA event of the 2020 season.
Castle’s Junior All-America honors reflect her accomplishments prior to her UK career, but her game has continued to get better even as the competition has gotten tougher.
The Columbia, South Carolina, native has been one of the centerpieces behind UK’s remarkable turnaround, which already features two team championships, a record-pace scoring average and a ranking of No. 22 in the latest Golfstat ratings (UK is also tied for 20th in the Women’s Golf Coaches Association and No. 29 in Golfweek’s rankings).
Through the fall slate, Castle leads all Wildcats with a 71.3 stroke average, which — if the season ended today — would shatter the single-season scoring average (73.16) set by Leonie Bettel during her three-championship run last season. Castle and the Wildcats still have a full spring schedule to play with some of the toughest courses out ahead of them.
Castle has finished in the top 20 in all four of her first college tournaments with two top-10 showings. In her first appearance for Kentucky, at the Minnesota Invitational, she clinched the team championship with a series of birdies late in the final round. She tied for third in Woodbury, Minnesota.
Eight of Castle’s 11 rounds so far have been par or better. Not only are the eight a team high, Castle is just six round short of tying Bettel’s single-season record of 14 set last season.
She’s ranked No. 26 in the latest Golfstat individual national rankings.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s golf team, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
