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Michael Castillo said he hit the ball well in his Sony Open debut on Thursday, but admitted he didn’t score very well. Criticism of his play ended there.
“No problem,” he said. “It was a lot of fun walking with my brother in the bag. My family is here. It was all good. Probably couldn’t draw better than the score.”
The 60-year-old Castillo shared one of the most inspiring stories of the week at Honolulu’s Waialae Country Club. Plantation at Kapalua Resort, where the tour took place last week. Castillo, the head pro at his course, won the Aloha PGA section in September and qualified for the Sony Open (a birdie on the final hole earned him a won by 1 point).
This will be his PGA Tour debut and will take place at a course that Castillo and his family have a long history with.
But first, let’s talk about how he got there.according to Associated Press, Castillo only attended the Aloha Section PGA Championship because his assistant in Kapalua talked him into playing for Poipu Bay, where Castillo had been head pro for 12 years. This all unfolded as Castillo has been battling colon cancer, which he was diagnosed with about five years ago. The disease moved to his liver and lungs. He has undergone chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Next month he will have his PET scan and if all goes well doctors will think he is in remission.
“That’s good,” he said. “Maybe we’ll do some things called maintenance or preventative treatments to keep it going and keep it under the lid, but it looks pretty good. I’ve got a great doctor. There’s great medicine out there.”
Castillo comes from famous golfing families, many of whom are also associated with Waialae Country Club. His father, Ron, was an assistant there in the 1970s and played in 10 Sony Opens. He was inducted into the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame and coached his team in the Hawaii Women’s Golf. His daughter, Lori, won the U.S. Junior Girls and U.S. Women’s Amateurs at her Public Links and was inducted into the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame. Castillo has three of his caretakers, all four of whom worked in Waialae during high school. His two of those brothers are already playing for Sony. Everyone works in golf.
Castillo’s mother, Dorothy, 84, walked all 18 holes with him on Thursday. Brother Joey was the caddy. Michael shot his 79 last on the field, but as he said before, it “doesn’t matter much.”
“Surprisingly, I felt very comfortable playing golf today,” Castillo said. “I don’t think I needed to calm my nerves. I think my life’s journey is probably part of it. Maybe it’s the fact that everyone makes me feel comfortable here. I’ve been playing this game for a long time.” Playing , you can understand how to make it work, even though it’s an important round of golf.”
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