Another payday for Georgia Tech alum

Two years ago, fresh out of Georgia Tech, Roberto Castro came to Spring Creek with few expectations and left with his first real payday as a professional golfer.
The lean redhead had won the Spring Creek Classic in only his second tournament as a pro and it didn’t take long for him to show everyone that he was a rookie.
Standing in the winner’s circle with tournament officials and Spring Creek dignitaries, Castro tried to take the big cardboard check with him. While it would have been a nice souvenir, the tour folks carry those big checks from one event to another for such occasions.
Castro’s check would come in the mail.
That was two years ago when he was a rookie on the Tarheel Tour. And, oh, that check for winning the tournament was a mere $16,000.
This is now
Saturday’s payday was a little larger as Castro graduated his play and his check in winning the eGolf Tour’s $300,000 Spring Creek Championship at the course near Zion Crossroads.
This time, Castro took home $50,000, which pushed him to fourth place on the circuit’s season earnings list, all the way from out of the top 50 entering the event. This time, he didn’t try to take the cardboard check.
Wild finish
The former Yellow Jacket All-American golfer didn’t lead any of the three previous rounds and found himself in a wild scramble in Saturday’s finale. Seven players were within two strokes of the lead heading into the back nine.
Castro had ‘em right where he wanted ‘em. He felt comfortable on Spring Creek’s back, where he believed there were several birdie opportunities.
He snuck a peek at the leaderboard at the 13th hole and there were still six players in contention. So, he did what champions do, he went out and birdied three of his last four holes.
Castro finished the day at 4-under 68, giving him a four-day total of 16-under par, 272 and a two-stroke victory over Blaine Peffley and three-stroke win over U.S. Open 36-hole sensation Trevor Murphy and Jay McLuen.
After parring the first five holes on the back, including perhaps championship-saving up and downs on the par-3, 13th and par-4, 14th, Castro’s putter began to blaze.
He sank a 10-foot birdie on 15, a 30-footer on 16, and managed a par on the 224-yard, par-3, 17th. While he had unknowingly taken the lead, there was still drama remaining for the challenging finishing hole, the treacherous, par-5, 18th that is bordered by a lake on the entire left side.
Had Castro chosen a 3-wood off the tee, he feared it would have bounded into a watery grave. So, he pulled his 3-iron and put his shot nicely into a softer area of the fairway than he would have preferred.
The tee shot checked up in the moist area, leaving him a risky shot to the green. He decided to layup with a 6-iron, then plopped his wedge to the back of the 18th green from where he drained a 25-foot birdie, clinching his second Spring Creek title in three years.
“I felt that probably won it for me because it put me at 16 (under) and I didn’t think anyone was that close to me,” Castro said later. “Making a few birdies coming down the stretch was pretty good, but you never know.”
Considering that Castro eats up par-5’s and spits them out (he is a collective 30-under on par-5’s this season), it was no surprise how he finished, even though the 18th wasn’t an easy birdie with the pin tucked back left.
Back at the clubhouse, everyone joked that perhaps Castro should become a member at Spring Creek, considering how he seems to own it any way.
“I should,” he chuckled. “I heard that if you’re a junior member and live outside of 60 miles, and I live 460 miles away, it’s a pretty good deal. Plus, I could tell people I’m a member of two clubs.”
There’s no question in his mind that having won at Spring Creek in 2007 helped him win again.
“I just feel comfortable when I hit my approach shots into the greens out here,” Castro said. “I just kind of see the shot when I step up to it, which is nice. Throughout the week, a lot of those shots I had hit a lot before.”
Coming into the tournament he had but four rounds in the 60s on the eGolf circuit (he had also played in some Nationwide events), but had three rounds in the 60s in four days (plus a 70 in the other) on one of the toughest layouts on this particular tour, and with perhaps the toughest field on this tour this season.
“There’s a lot more good players out here now,” the champ said. “A win out here means a lot more than it did a year or two ago.”
Two years ago he fired 14-under in the three-day tournament but the course has stretched out some since then, particularly at the par-5 ninth, which has been lengthened by 100 yards, which is about a shot extra per round.
“The weather was perfect this week, too,” he said. “Zero wind until today. If you’ll notice, today, with a little bit tougher pins and a slight breeze, a lot of guys shot over par.
“When the conditions are good, good players are going to find a way to shoot under par ... if there’s no wind. That’s the key.”
The win two years ago boosted the former Techster’s confidence and he nearly breezed through PGA Qualifying School until the bitter end. He’s hoping to build off of Saturday’s win and take a large step toward the big boys tour.
For Castro, it’s all about mindset.
“I have to keep playing aggressively,” he said. “That was the big difference for me this week as opposed to two weeks ago when I played in the Nationwide event in Knoxville. I was tentative there and you’re not going to get anywhere like that.”
He learned this week that the old cliché about if you’re not on offense, you’re on defense, is definitely true.
“Watching those guys on TV, they’re playing to win, they’re not playing to hang around. I could be better at that,” Castro said.
If he continues to play as he did at Spring Creek, he’ll be hanging around a lot.