Ricky Castillo has settled into life on the PGA Tour in his rookie season, after becoming one of 30 Korn Ferry Tour players to earn a card via its 2024 points list.
Along the way, Castillo’s caddies had included his dad, Mark, and Cory Shumate, who was alongside Castillo when he became the youngest winner of the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season with the Wichita Open title.
However, as his maiden PGA Tour season has progressed, a very familiar face has been assisting as his caddie, brother Derek – and it’s not the first time they’ve worked together.
Back in 2018 at the US Junior Amateur at Baltusrol, the pair teamed up, with Ricky explaining what Derek brings to the role, saying: “It’s a huge help. He knows exactly how I like to play the game and every distance and what I’m good at.
“We play with each other all the time, so we know exactly how each other’s games are so it’s really helpful to have someone like that on the bag.”
As Ricky hinted back then, Derek is also an accomplished player. Derek, who was born in 1998, attended California State University, Fullerton, where he had a successful spell on the Titans golf team. That included being named Big West Men’s Golfer of the Month for March 2020 during his senior year.
After turning professional, he made appearances on the PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamerica, with a best result of T41 at the 2022 Diners Club Peru Open on the latter circuit.
Derek, who has also caddied on the LPGA Tour, may not have been able to emulate his brother by taking the steps needed to reach the PGA Tour. However, his role alongside Ricky has ensured he still has a part to play on it.
