UF Men’s Golf: Axelsen, Castillo Earn All-America First Team Honors

Courtesy of UF Athletic Association

Junior John Axelsen and freshman Ricky Castillo have both been named to the 2020 NCAA Division I PING All-America First Team.

Florida men’s golf junior John Axelsen and freshman Ricky Castillo have both been named to the 2020 NCAA Division I PING All-America First Team, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced Thursday.

This marks the first All-America honor for both Axelsen and Castillo.

The Gators pair is among 11 student-athletes named to the first team, joined by John Augenstein (Vanderbilt), Quote Cummins (Oklahoma), Cooper Dossey (Baylor), Peter Kuest (BYU), William Mouw (Pepperdine), Trent Phillips (Georgia), Garrett Reband (Oklahoma), Sahith Theegala (Pepperdine), and Davis Thompson (Georgia).

Both Axelsen and Castillo’s first team recognition is well-deserved, following their impressive play over the course of the abbreviated 2019-20 season.

Axelsen proved himself as a consistent and reliable presence for the Gators from the get-go. Through seven events, the junior notched six top-15 finishes, including three top-three performances.

16 of Axelsen’s 21 rounds were either even or under par, with eight in the 60s. He finished five tournaments under par with his best performance coming at the Sea Best Invitational at 5 under to take second. Those numbers put his adjusted scoring average at 70.22 and allowed him to finish the season as the No. 7 collegiate player in Golfstat’s Division I player rankings.

In his inaugural season as a Gator, Castillo dominated. Over his 21 rounds played, Castillo posted the lowest single-season scoring average in program history at 70.08. He finished inside the top 25 individually in every event with all 21 of his rounds included in the Gators’ counting scores.

In addition, Castillo opened the spring with back-to-back individual titles, claiming the crown at the Sea Best Invitational and VyStar Gators Invitational by a combined 11 strokes. The Yorba Linda, Calif., native then followed those performances with an impressive 5-under 211 at Southern Highlands Collegiate to tie for sixth. Through his nine rounds of the spring, Castillo shot a collective 26 under with a scoring average of 67.78.