March 1, 2026; Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA; Ricky Castillo hits a shot from the second tee during the final round of the Cognizant Classic golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Image Ricky Castillo took the lead with a chip-in eagle on the sixth hole and was one stroke away from winning the Puerto Rico Open on Sunday in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico for his first PGA Tour victory.
Castillo sank a birdie putt on the 13th hole to break a tie with Chandler Blanchet to take the lead, then added another on the par-5 14th hole at Grand Reserve Golf Club to save four strokes and shoot a 5-under 67.
At 17 under par 271, Castillo had enough to beat Blanchet, who birdied the final hole for a 67 and was 16 under par.
“It’s very special,” said Castillo, 25. “My parents were able to watch things like that to help me win here. It’s really surreal because I know my grandmother is looking down on me now, happy and joyful.”
Castillo, a California native, has had two top-five finishes, including a third-place finish in 2025. He said he wanted to qualify for this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, but because he was so eager to play, competing in an alternate event made the breakthrough even more rewarding.
“It’s amazing to put into words the fact that I was able to win my first event,” he said. “I felt like I wanted to be at Bay Hill and I decided to come here and play this and we ended up winning, so it all worked out in the end.”
Crucially, Castillo didn’t have a single bogey on Saturday or Sunday. A short chip-in from outside the green on the par-5 6th hole soon led to a birdie on the par-3 7th hole.
Blaise Brown (18) attempted to become the second-youngest winner in PGA Tour history, but shot 69 and settled for third place at 14 under par. Davis Thompson (69) was in 4th place with 13 under par, and Paul Peterson (66), Luke Clanton (68), and German Marty Schmid (71) were tied for 5th place with 12 under par.
Former world No. 1 amateur Gordon Sargent, in his first tournament as a professional, shot a final round 70 and finished tied at 11 under par.
“I think it’s easy to get a little ahead of yourself and think about the outcome, so I’ve tried to stay current. That’s definitely going to take a lot of time this week,” Sargent said.
Amateur John Daly II shot a 74 and was 7 under par in his first PGA Tour start.
–Field level media
