– Photo: Simon Boxall
Caymanian golfer Justin Hastings was greeted with a hero’s welcome from family, friends and well-wishers when he returned to the Cayman Islands on the night of 21 June.
Hastings was the only amateur to make the two-round cutoff at the 2025 US Open held at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, from 12-15 June, taking home low amateur honours and the hardware that comes with it.
“It was such a treat, just to be able to play in the US Open and then let alone have the success to be able to call yourself low amateur, it’s something I’ll hold onto for the rest of my life,” he said.
As the Compass reported earlier, Hastings is the first Caymanian to play in the US Open. He squeezed into the final two days with the same score across two rounds as Masters champion Rory McIlroy, bettering Tommy Fleetwood, Phil Mickelson and defending champion Bryson DeChambeau — all of whom missed the cutoff after the first two rounds of golf and couldn’t play in the final two rounds.
His victory at the Latin America Amateur Championship back in January gave Hastings the opportunity to start in the Masters, the US Open and the upcoming British Open Championship, which will be played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland in July.
Hastings said the win at the Latin America tournament in January of this year had been “life-changing” because it provided a golden ticket of entry into the majors.
Hastings competed for Cayman at the Latin America Amateur Championship since he was 14. After graduating from Cayman International School, he went on to play college golf for San Diego State University, ranking top 20 in the country and leading a team of international amateurs to victory in the Arnold Palmer Cup.
Hastings will turn pro after playing at the British Open on 17-20 July. His golfing journey began as a 9-year-old boy on the island’s only 18-hole course at the North Sound Golf Club.
