Ricky Castillo wins Round of 64 match at U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood CC

PARAMUS, N.J. – Ricky Castillo was momentarily a twisted mess.

Moments after watching a six-foot putt for par slide past the hole, the 21-year-old Californian was lamenting the loss of a 1-up edge and contorting on the 18^th tee at Ridgewood Country Club while a wayward drive flirted with trees well down the left side Wednesday in a Round of 64 match at the U.S. Amateur.

The ball narrowly stayed inbounds.

Castillo was forced to punch out short of the green, then calmly got up and down while Ludvig Aberg left his third in a greenside bunker then drew a miserable lie short side in the fescue once he did escape.

Game over.

“That was pretty scary,” Castillo said of the late drama in a 1-up victory. “My ball on 18 was less than an inch inbounds and I took advantage of it, made a good par. It’s not the way you want to see it end, but it was a really well-fought match. We both played really well. It’s a tough golf course, fast greens, thick rough. It was a fun match.”

U.S. Amateur: Scoring

Avoiding the long grass is a high priority for the rest of the week.

“I think everyone is going to have a pretty similar strategy,” said Castillo, a senior at Florida who was 1 down until he rattled off wins at 14 and 15. “Just hit fairways, hit greens. That’s kind of the only way you’re going to play well out here. It’s pretty hard to play well out of the rough just because it’s so thick, and the greens are really firm and fast. … Yeah, staying patient is definitely a big key out here.”

Next up is a Round of 32 match against University of Oregon senior Owen Avrit.

Thank God

Reality was just beginning to sink in when Josh Gliege admitted he never thought advancing beyond the Round of 64 was a possibility until Pietro Bovari missed a short and slippery putt on the 18^th hole. The 24-year-old assistant golf coach at Wichita State got up and down from a short-side bunker on the 18^th hole then watched his opponent fall victim to a late momentum swing.

“It was unbelievably stressful, especially because I haven’t done it in a while,” said Gliege, a native of Pocatello, Idaho. “It’s fun, but man it does take a toll on you. I never led until right there on the 18^th green. He was 3-up through 11 and I won 12 and won 16, 17 and 18.”

Bovari, a 21-year-old from Italy who plays at Virginia, was in disbelief when his final putt failed to fall.

“I hit a terrible drive on 12 that went in the adjacent fairway, but got it up and down for…