After years of offseason decisions and postseason disappointments, Florida senior golfer Ricky Castillo could no longer contain his emotions.
The Gators were finally national champions.
Tears followed by hugs turned into a celebration holding well-earned hardware while standing alongside teammates and coaches who had stuck together and stayed the course. The reward was Wednesday’s 3-1 win against Georgia Tech during the match-play final at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Castillo was one of four seniors on coach JC Deacon’s squad that entered the season with one last chance to leave a legacy commensurate with their talent. The program’s first SEC title since 2011 was validation, but UF’s fifth NCAA championship — and first since 2001 — put Castillo and Co. in rare air.
“These guys don’t give up,” Deacon said. “They’re tough sons of guns and I’m proud to be their coach.”
Few college golfers are as steely as Castillo (pronounced cass-TEA-leo).
During Tuesday’s semifinals with Florida State, he buried a birdie putt on the 21st hole of his match with Brett Roberts to secure a 3-2 team win and further his reputation as a clutch performer. The Yorba Linda, Calif., native had trailed by 2 holes with 3 to play, but won Nos. 16 and 17 to force a sudden-death playoff.
“He’s got a special gift,” Deacon told Golf Channel.
The Gators ultimately did not need Castillo to slip past Georgia Tech.
With Deacon following the day’s final match, Castillo was 1-up after 17 holes against Yellow Jackets star Ross Steelman. But two days after he won the NCAA’s individual crown, Fred Biondi closed out his match 1-up against Hiroshi Tai with a rock-solid par on the exacting par-4 18th hole to clinch the team title.
“I promised J.C. when I first got to school that I would work as hard as I could to try and bring him a ring or two,” Biondi said. “And we did it.”
Watching the action from the 18th fairway, Castillo looked at Deacon and echoed his teammate, saying, “We did it.” Castillo then broke down in tears and hugged his coach. He soon sprinted toward his teammates.
“I was getting a little emotional coming down 18,” he said. “I knew Fred had two putts to win a national championship, and I knew Fred was going to two-putt.”
Holding the No. 1 position in the five-man lineup, Biondi has been the Gators’ most reliable performer this season. Senior John DuBois, who sank the putt to beat Vanderbilt on May 13 at SECs, has been the team’s rock. Meanwhile, senior Yuxin Lin has been the wild card, while redshirt freshman Matthew Kress has been the X-factor.
Lin’s final-round 5-under 66 during the final round at NCAA regionals was the low among 75 competitors as the Gators overcame a 9-shot deficit to advance to the 30-team championship round. Kress’ 3-0 match-play record led the way during SEC championships.
But Castillo has been the Gators’ alpha male ever since he arrived as the nation’s No. 1 recruit.
A little less than a month before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled his freshman season in 2020, Castillo became the first UF player to win the Gators Invitational since 2011, recording a tournament record 13-under par 197 capped by rounds of 63 and 64.
Castillo’s highest finish was just a tie for sixth as a sophomore, but a late spring surge left many wondering whether the 20-year-old should pursue a professional career and leave college.
Fresh off posting a 5-0 record during the U.S. team’s 2021 Walker Cup win, Castillo sank a 75-foot birdie putt during NCAA regionals to help UF reach the championship round. Yet when his team failed to reached match play, Castillo remained committed to Deacon and the Gators.
“I just felt like I was going to get better here,” he told the Sentinel prior to 2023 NCAA regionals. “I still had a lot to learn. Staying those extra two years really helped me.
“It was the best decision for me to grow as a person and a player.”
Castillo and the Gators continued to grow together. On Wednesday evening in the desert glow of Arizona, they celebrated a national title as one.
“Winning as a team means so much more,” Biondi said. “It’s awesome that we did this together.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @osgators.