Ricky Castillo in the mix as John Daly II reaches the weekend in Puerto Rico
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — Under the stillness of a Friday round that never turned sour, ricky castillo remained part of the leaderboard’s pressure point at the Puerto Rico Open while amateur John Daly II played his way into the weekend with a bogey-free 67.
The scene at the par-72 Grand Reserve Golf Club was defined by contrast: professionals trying to separate from a crowded chase, and a college senior, playing on a sponsor’s exemption, moving with the freedom of someone who insisted he had “nothing to lose. ” By the end of the day, Daly had not only made the cut as the low amateur, he had climbed into a tie for seventh at 137 (70-67).
Where does Ricky Castillo stand on the Puerto Rico Open leaderboard?
Ricky Castillo is part of a four-way tie for third at 8-under par, alongside Jesper Svensson, Blades Brown, and Jeremy Paul.
At the top, Chandler Blanchet led at 13-under, with Gordon Sargent at 9-under. Daly’s position in the group tied for seventh kept him within sight of the leaders heading into the weekend, but the middle of the board remained tight enough that a single low round could redraw it.
How did John Daly II make the cut and become the low amateur?
Daly’s Friday 67 came without a bogey, a round built on small recoveries and timely birdies rather than extended stretches of risk. He began his second round on hole 10, opened with four straight pars, then found his first birdie on the par-5 14th after reaching the green in three shots and converting the putt.
He added another birdie at the par-4 18th, where his second shot came from the intermediate rough before he found the green and made the putt. Trouble appeared in bunkers on both par 3s—holes 15 and 17—but he saved par on each, turning what could have been momentum breakers into footnotes.
On the back nine (holes 1–9), Daly moved to 3-under with a birdie at the par-4 3rd, then saved par from a bunker on the par-4 5th. On hole 6—his 15th of the day—he found the rough, earned relief from a sprinkler head, recovered to the fairway, hit the green, and rolled in the birdie putt. He closed with a birdie on 8 and a par on 9.
“It’s awesome, ” Daly said. “This place has always been one of my favorites. To come watch my dad play back in the day, so it’s pretty cool to make it to the weekend. ”
Asked about making the cut, Daly kept the approach plain. “Honestly, go out there and try to go as low as I can. I got nothing to lose, so just go out there and have fun and just keep doing what I’m doing. ”
What shaped the tournament’s early story heading into the weekend?
The week’s rhythm has been set by two tracks running at once: the top of the leaderboard pulling forward, and the chase compressing into clusters where one swing can mean several places. In that congestion, ricky castillo being tied for third underscores how little separation exists behind the leader.
Daly’s first round showed how quickly an opening can change. In his PGA TOUR debut, he started with a birdie on hole 1, then made eight straight pars to reach the turn at 1-under. He dropped a shot on 10, responded with two birdies, then followed a bogey on 15 with a birdie to finish at 2-under 70.
By Friday evening, the cumulative effect of 70-67 had carried him to the weekend, and it did so in a way that matched his own description—aggressive enough to score, steady enough to avoid the big number.
Daly is scheduled to start Round 3 at 11 a. m. (CT) alongside Beau Hossler.
Image caption (alt text): ricky castillo on the Puerto Rico Open leaderboard as John Daly II makes the cut at Grand Reserve Golf Club
