RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — Ricky Castillo made back-to-back birdies proper after 18-year-old Blades Brown got here undone with one unhealthy gap, closing with a 5-under 67 to win the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour title.
Brown, making an attempt to change into the youngest PGA Tour winner in 95 years, had a one-shot lead with six holes to play when he went from a bunker to the water and made triple bogey.
Castillo, enjoying within the remaining group behind Brown, holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the thirteenth, after which hit a ravishing pitch over the mounds to five ft for birdie on the par-4 14th.
Castillo narrowly missed out — by 11 factors within the FedEx Cup standings — on moving into the $20 million signature occasion at Bay Hill this week. He headed to Puerto Rico, performed bogey-free within the remaining spherical at Grand Reserve and earned his means into his first main championship as a professional.
The victory will get him into the PGA Championship. He already was eligible for The Players Championship subsequent week on the TPC Sawgrass.
“It’s really cool to put into words to be able to win my first event,” Castillo stated. “I felt like I wanted to be in Bay Hill and I decided to just come out here and play this and ended up winning, so it all works out in the end. Yeah, surreal week.”
He completed at 17-under 271, one shot forward of Chandler Blanchet, who birdied the ultimate gap for 67.
Brown, who turned professional final yr and did not graduate highschool till January, birdied his final gap for a 69 to complete alone in third, his first prime 10 on the PGA Tour.
But it was one gap — the 455-yard thirteenth — that did him in. It was much like The American Express in January, when Brown performed within the remaining group with Scottie Scheffler. He put a tee shot into the water on the fifth gap and made double bogey and was rapidly out of attain of golf’s finest participant.
This time, he drove right into a fairway bunker and his method to a inexperienced with water all the way in which down the best aspect drifted effectively to the best. He took his drop, then received too aggressive with a wedge and the ball trickled over the inexperienced. He chipped to 7 ft and missed the putt, taking triple bogey.
Brown had a one-shot lead going to the thirteenth and was 4 photographs behind when he completed the 14th.
John Daly II, the 22-year-old son of two-time main champion John Daly, began three photographs behind and shot 34 on the entrance 9. But he fell again rapidly with 5 bogeys in seven holes to begin the again 9 and shot 74.
“I learned that you’ve got to put four rounds together and it’s not easy out here,” Daly stated. “But very happy, not mad at all. Just a great day, great week.”
He heads again to Arkansas with eyes on making an attempt to win an NCAA title.
Brown earned his spot within the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook together with his first prime 10. He already had a sponsor exemption into the occasion.
