Jensen Castle Likes the Pressure of Big Tournaments

Jensen Castle always dreamed of playing at Augusta National and will be doing so next month for the third straight year. (UK Athletics Photo)

Kentucky’s Jensen Castle will be back at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in Augusta, Ga., April 3-6 along with teammate Laney Frye. They’ll be part of a 72-player international field that includes the 30 highest ranked players from the U.S. on the final 2023 Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings and top 30 from the world amateur rankings.

Every player will get a practice round at Augusta National —home of the Masters — and those who make the 36-hole cut will play the final two rounds at Augusta National.

This is Castle’s third straight appearance in the event and she’s made the cut both seasons. Castle has 47 career rounds of par-or-better, including 19 career rounds in the 60s, which is the second-best in program history.

“It’s a big deal to be invited back. It’s easy to take for granted but not many get to go to this event,” Castle said. “To get to play in another great field is amazing. Just being able to play Augusta National is something I dreamed of. Being there is special but I don’t just want to participate. I want to compete. I know all the pressure I am going to feel and know what to expect.

“I enjoy pressure and love when there are tons of people watching me. When you play golf you are out there for six hours. You are not thinking about golf every second. In between shots I am analyzing the crowd. I may see people that are friends of mine talking and wonder what they are thinking. Or I might have just random thoughts. But I thrive in pressure situations.”

She thinks handling pressure has helped her make the cut at this tourney the last two years.

“That golf course is unlike any golf course in the world. Certain locations have more people than others but that suits me and I do have an understanding of what that will be like,” Castle said.

Castle said she has been playing “pretty good” despite recently starting to use a new driver that did not work out great. Now she is using her old drive again.

“What I won’t do is make this tournament a bigger deal than it needs to be. For me, it’s just another event. Personally, I want to play my best golf every event. This one is no different,” she said.