Listen: Road to Hoylake continues with Castillo, Bhatia
Ricky Castillo and Akshay Bhatia
As U.S. Amateur continues, so does The Back of the Range podcast’s “Road to Hoylake” series.
As the U.S. Walker Cup team fills out for the Sept. 7-8 matches at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England, half the fun is getting to know the players in consideration for a team pick. Ben Adelberg at The Back of the Range podcast is telling those stories, two by two.
This week, Adelberg features two up-and-comers in the game. But teenagers
Ricky Castillo, 18, and
Akshay Bhatia, 17, sure don’t play like teenagers.
Castillo is playing in his third U.S. Amateur the week. He played his way to the semifinals of the Western Amateur two weeks ago. Before that, he was stroke-play co-medalist at the North & South (also played at Pinehurst) as well the U.S. Junior. Experience is not an issue for a player who will begin his freshman season at the University of Florida in the fall.
Bhatia is already on the team, having earned his pick courtesy of his position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The North Carolina native has had a whirlwind summer, but the next step is clear: Bhatia will turn professional following the Walker Cup and begin his road to the PGA Tour.
View results for The Walker Cup
ABOUT THE The Walker Cup
The Walker Cup Match is a biennial 10-man
amateur
team competition between the USA and a team
composed of players from Great Britain and
Ireland
and selected by The R&A. It is played over two
days
with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes
(alternate-shot) matches.
The first United States Walker Cup Team, which
in
1922 defeated the GB&I side, 8-4, at the
National Golf
Links of America, is considered among the best
teams
ever and included Francis Ouimet, Bob Jones,
Charles
“Chick” Evans and Jess Sweetser. Many of the
game’s
greatest players have taken part in Walker Cup
competition, including U.S. Open champions
Jack
Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth for
the
USA
and Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Justin
Rose
for Great Britain and Ireland.
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