Ace powers Costello through final West Penn Am qualifying round
By Josh Rowntree, Director of Communications • June 4, 2025
LATROBE – Given the spectacular nature of his back nine Wednesday, it shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise that Ryan Costello pulled off something, well, spectacular.
Costello, fueled by the second ace of his life, dominated the final nine holes he played in the final WPGA Amateur Championship Qualifying round at Latrobe Elks Golf Club, finishing as the day’s low scorer.
The hole-in-one came on the 184-yard, uphill 14th hole.
“On that hole, long is dead and I’ve been long before,” said Costello. “So, I made sure to pick the club that was short. With the way the wind was and with it being uphill, if I hit a full 7 it wouldn’t have taken me long.
“I hit it solid, the way I wanted. We saw it bounce once but then you couldn’t see where it was from our perspective. The guy I was playing with, Dan (Reid), hit a pretty good one too and we walked up there and saw one on, and thought it was his. So, I started thinking that I was long. Dan looked in the hole and said ‘It’s in the hole.’”
It was Costello’s second career ace, having made one in a work outing at Montour Heights Country Club two years ago.
But the hole-in-one was just part of a dominant stretch of golf for the Shannopin Country Club member. He carded a personal-best nine-hole score of 31 after the turn, finishing with a 4-under score of 68 for the day.
“Honestly, there wasn’t really anything specific,” Costello said of what sparked his strong play, which included four birdies and an eagle over the final nine holes. “I hit a good iron shot on (the 10th hole) and finally hit a good drive on 12. There wasn’t anything specific. I wasn’t really hitting the driver. I was just making the putts I should make.”
The round was played under the hottest conditions of the 2025 season to this point, with temperatures maxing out in the mid-80’s — a stark contrast to the remarkably chilly spring Western Pennsylvania has experienced.
“In years past here, it was kind of like ‘how dry is it going to be,’” Costello said. “We’ve had so much rain that the rough was challenging. This is a nice course. It’s always in great shape. The greens are super true. Not super-fast, but not slow by any means. I’ve always thought this was a nice spot to have a qualifier.”
After Costello, 20 more players qualified for spots in the 125th WPGA Amateur Championship, set for historic Sunnehanna Country Club July 14-15.
Mario Battaglia, Nolan Shilling and Connor McKenzie and Michael Quallich and Ryan Fichter all shot 3-under to tie for second place. Wade Boyle was 1-under par. Alex Turowski and Shane Brant finished even.
They and the other qualifiers, plus exempt players, will get a shot at one of the longest-running amateur championships in the nation, with the pristine, Johnstown-based club hosting the two-day championship.
“I’ve never played there,” said Costello. “I’m excited to go and play for the first time, especially when you hear about the history of that course.”
For final results, please click here. (GGID: 25WPGAAMQ)
For any media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and nearly 37,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.