Coloradans Stewart, Castiglia need comebacks if they hope to make match play at U.S. Junior Amateur
By Gary Baines – 07/15/2019
Last month at Ptarmigan Country Club, Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins and Jack Castiglia of Lakewood shot the same score (70) to claim co-medalist honors in U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying.
On Monday, in the U.S. Junior Am itself at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, they did it again. But unlike last time, the result wasn’t so good.
Stewart, winner of the first two majors of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s 2019 season, and Castilia, the 2018 Colorado Junior Match Play winner who now competes for the University of Northern Colorado golf team, matched 9-over-par 80s on Monday. That left the Coloradans tied for 122nd place and needing to rally to advance to match play.
After Tuesday’s second round of stroke play, the top 64 players will earn spots in the match play bracket. As of the end of the day Monday, the 64th spot fell at 4-over-par 75.
William Mouw of Chino, Calif., and Australian Karl Vilips share the stroke-play lead at 2-under-par 69.
Stewart, the Oklahoma State-bound golfer who is competing in his second U.S. Junior Am, made nine pars and nine bogeys on Monday. Castiglia carded two birdies, six bogeys, a double bogey and a triple bogey.
(The Coloradans are pictured, with Castiglia at left.)
For all the scores from the U.S. Junior Am, CLICK HERE.