Frostproof's Jordan Castillo goes low in golf districts; Polk scores

Frostproof freshman golfer Jordan Castillo has been one of the best in Polk County for the past couple of years, yet The Ledger's 2025 Player of the Year is having his best season yet.Last year in districts, he shot an 81, which he tallied because he had a bad hole that started a downward slide of him pressing, which made everything worse. But this year going into the Class 1A District 11 tournament at the Bobby Jones Golf Club on Monday, he knew that if he just remained patient, the good rounds would eventually be there as he didn't want to put too much pressure on himself.It worked, as Castillo posted a 69 — his lowest round in districts — and a third-place finish. The freshman was a 1-over on the front nine before posting four birdies on the back. This helped Frostproof place third as a team with a 304."I would have happily taken an even par 71 or a 1-over 72 today. The wind was very tough to play and really tested your patience and your ability to control the ball. … I am really proud of how I played today and I went toe-to-toe with a senior committed to Duke University."Frostproof head golf coach Karen Bolin lauded Castillo's play."I am so impressed with how he handles bad shots and is able to mentally move on. He has been finishing really strong and is calm under pressure," Bolin said.Frostproof golf wins back-to-back: Frostproof boys golf wins back-to-back Class 1A public titlesAll Saints: All Saints, Alex Kruschwitz win county golf titles; other Polk resultsCastillo made the turn at 1-over thanks to eight pars and a bogey on the front. He then birdied the 10th and 12th holes, which put him at 1-under before bogeying the tough par-4 15th hole. He would go on to birdie the 17th and 18th holes to put him at a 2-under total for the day. The four birdies on the back nine, of course, ultimately helped him record his best round in districts."I am impressed with how I find ways to get better each year whether it's mentally or skill-wise," Castillo said. "Although I still have a lot of work to do now and this offseason, I am going to get back to practicing and clean up some of the weaker parts of my game before going to regionals. I am going to just go and play, trust my game and my fundamentals and that will give me an opportunity to be successful."Also advancing was Castillo's sister, junior Hannah Castillo, who was fifth with an 80. She helped Frostproof as a team finish third with a 360.Class 2A District 9 girlsMcKeel won its 12th district title in school history thanks to a 321.Leading the way junior Leonie Tavares, who put up a 74, winning her second district title on Tuesday at Cypresswood Golf and Country Club.Her teammates were right behind her in the top 10: Junior George Grace Spence (2nd, 75), senior Rachel Rajavich (3rd, 85), freshman Keller Roland (4th, 87) and junior Diya Kavalackai (5th, 89) were in the top 10.Other Polk players in the top 10 were Lake Wales sophomore Charlotte Ingley (8th, 96), Lake Wales junior Kylee Schick (9th, 97) and Lake Wales junior Ayvalei Joyner (10th, 101).Other Polk County teams in the top 10 were Lake Wales (409) and Mulberry (546).BoysMcKeel also won the district championship for the first time since 2022 Tuesday at Cypresswood Golf and Country Club with a 332.Anchoring this victory were McKeel senior Bryant Gard (T-2nd, 82) and freshman Jackson Drawdy (T-2nd, 82). Other Polk County players in the top 10 were Kathleen senior Landon Kirkland (T-2nd, 82), McKeel eighth-grader Ethan Bailey (5th, 83), Lake Wales junior Giovanni Tarquinio (8th, 84) and McKeel junior (9th, 85).Class 1A District 9 boysPlacing in the top 10 from the Polk point of view were All Saints freshman Madden Hahn (T-5th, 77), Lakeland Chrisitan freshman Ling Huang (T-5th, 77), All Saints junior Alex Kruschwitz (T-10th, 79) and All Saints senior (T-10th, 79).And Lakeland Christian (4th, 316), All Saints (5th, 321) and Santa Fe (10th, 376) were in the top 10 Tuesday at Rogers Park Golf Club.GirlsPlacing in the top 10 at Rogers Park Golf Club from Polk were All Saints junior Syndey Rasnake (6th, 90), Santa Fe senior Livi Magnola (T-8th, 91) and Lakeland Christian sophomore Zoe Zeigler (T-8th, 91).Team-wise in the top 10 were Lakeland Christian (5th, 417), All Saints Academy (6th, 450) and Santa Fe (8th, 481).Class 3A District 8 boysGeorge Jenkins racked up a district championship Tuesday at Eaglebrooke with a 320.The captain of this ship was George Jenkins senior and winner Andrew Sagnella (1st, 79), while his teammate senior Cole Pacheco was eighth with a 79. Other Polk County players in the top 10 were individual winner in senior Sean Bell (1st, 75), Davenport senior Mason Ledwez (3rd, 76), Lakeland junior Sam Wade (T-4th, 78), Davenport senior (Tejas Mishra (T-4th, 78), Bartow senior Blake Barron (T-8th, 79) and Winter Haven senior Lane Mcintee (T-8th, 79).Winter Haven (2nd, 328), Bartow (3rd, 329), Lakeland (6th, 367) and Auburndale (7th, 372) rounded out the top 10.GirlsAlso at Eaglebrooke, Winter Haven won the district title thanks to a +120 on Tuesday.Winning the shared district title was Winter Haven sophomore Danica Becker, while other district title winner were Ridge Community freshman Audra Sanford (T-1st, 78) and Lakeland senior Elizabeth Hall (T-1st, 78).George Jenkins junior Katherine Novotny (4th, 85), Auburndale sophomore Rylee Smith (7th, 94), Bartow senior Peyton Attix (8th, 99), Bartow freshman Kinsey Michael (9th, 109), Winter Haven sophomore Lilyan Stark (10th, +35), Auburndale freshman Kendall Salata (10th, 107) and Winter Haven junior Jaylee Callaway (10th, +35).And local teams in the top 10 were Auburndale (2nd, +138), Bartow (3rd, +147), George Jenkins (4th, +158), Lakeland (5th, +192), Davenport (6th, +237) and Ridge Community (7th, +243).This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Frostproof's Jordan Castillo goes low in golf districts; Polk scores