Caymanian golfer Justin Hastings’ swift rise to the brink of sporting stardom is an overnight success story that has been years in the making. The 21-year-old’s performance in the US Open last weekend, where he made the halfway cut and took the low-amateur title, brought him to the notice of the wider world.
But the talented former Cayman International School pupil hopes that brush with the limelight will not be the pinnacle of his golf career.
As he graduates college, after a record-breaking stint at San Diego State University, and contemplates a career on the professional circuit, he is confident enough to believe his appearance at the US Open can be a milestone on the road to even bigger things.
His journey began in far humbler surroundings, as a 9-year-old boy on the island’s only 18-hole course at the North Sound Golf Club.
One of the quirks of his sporting upbringing – and the point that has mystified journalists watching him take on the world’s best – is how he developed his game in such a restricted environment.
“Obviously, the facilities aren’t exactly what the rest of the world have access to. We have one-and-a-half golf courses, so I always felt like I had to work a little bit harder to match the results of my peers in the US and all the players I was playing against,” Hastings told Compass TV Daybreak host Raegan Rutty in an interview this week.
He believes the challenge helped him turn a weakness into a strength as he developed an underdog’s work ethic.
“I think that was a big thing for me character wise. I feel like it built me and it’s been really good for me as I’ve gotten older.”
His father Rich Hastings, who caddied for Justin in his breakthrough win at the Latin America Amateur Championship in Argentina in January, has got used to being asked about Cayman’s lack of golf courses.
“What nobody talks about is that he was there every day, all the time, all year, working at this,” he said from green side at the US Open last week.
The young Hastings had a strong support network in Cayman, too.
“It may be small, but it’s powerful,” he said of the island’s golfing community.
“There’s no lack of support from back home, despite the size.”
National team coach Tim Dwyer told the US media in an interview last week that Hastings’ key strength was how he responds to pressure. He shot a course record 57 at the 71-par North Sound course as a youngster.
“Any time the pressure is on, he succeeds. Ever since he was younger, he did it. He always elevates his game. It just comes from within.
“It’s one of the things … that I didn’t want to take away from him. You only wanted to add it and enjoy that fire.”
Doing more with less
For Bob Harig, a senior golf writer for Sports Illustrated who covered Hastings’ performances at the US Masters and US Open as well as Aaron Jarvis’ major tilts in 2022, it is not just the lack of facilities that makes the success of both Caymanians so unlikely.
A similarly talented young golfer in the US would likely have access to 15 different courses, and a host of similarly talented junior players within a few miles radius of their home.
“The aspect that is interesting to me is the lack of deep competition he would have had growing up compared to others he is now playing against. You can practise all you want and obviously he did. But you need a variety of courses to hone your skills and you need to go up against others who are as good or better than you,” said Harig.
“It is a tribute to his work ethic and that of his coach who runs the national programme in Cayman. They obviously do a lot more with less.”
Hastings has not been without opportunity. He has played at tournaments in the US and has 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.
Cayman golf’s golden generation
He wasn’t totally without competition at home either. Aaron Jarvis, the first Caymanian ever to qualify for a major tournament, his elder brother Andrew and Justin have shared a rivalry in junior golf as well as camaraderie and success for their country on the international stage.
Aaron Jarvis, who won the Latin America title in 2022 and made the cut at the Open in the UK the same year, told the Compass earlier this year. “We’ve been playing golf since we were 11 years old, every day at the same course together. So it’s pretty cool to see his success, and this is going to motivate me to get better and keep striving for great things as well.”
“[It] means a lot for Caribbean golf, for Cayman golf, and just shows that you can come from small places and make big things happen.”
The impact of that Latin America tournament – and the golden ticket prize of entry into the majors – can’t be overstated.
Hastings said the win had been “life-changing”. It is not over yet.
Next up is the Open Championships at Portrush, Northern Ireland on 17 July where he will again compete with the world’s best for one of the biggest prizes in sport.
If he is to be back on this stage next year, it will be a harder slog. Once he turns professional, Hastings will be required to qualify for top tournaments and first must serve his time on feeder tours.
But the apprenticeship he has received at pro level stands him in good stead. For context, past winners of the US Open low-amateur title include Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm and current world number one Scottie Scheffler.
In an article in Today’s Golfer, Hastings is tipped as a breakout star. There’s no prize money in major tournaments for amateur golfers – who cannot be paid to play – but the prestige and experience gained will be valuable for a future serious career.
“It’s a prestigious medal in its own right, and often seen as a launchpad for the stars of tomorrow,” the article states.
“He’s clearly not just a one-week wonder. And if history is anything to go by, Hastings might be destined for even greater things.”
For now he is heading back to Cayman and a hero’s welcome at the airport Saturday night.
Checked securely in his luggage will be the plaque and medal he received on Sunday. But the less tangible impact is the desire for more success that proximity to greatness helps imbue.
Playing major tournaments he says is an “unbelievable experience” and he has the taste for more.
“I am living the dream and this is something I hope to live again many times in my life,” he said.
- Additional reporting by Raegan Rutty and Bob Harig
