Fuhrer's birdie on 54th hole delivers dramatic win in 125th West Penn Am
By Josh Rowntree, Director of Communications • July 15, 2025
JOHNSTOWN — David Fuhrer walked off of the 17th green at Sunnehanna Country Club Tuesday relatively unaware of where exactly he stood in the final round of the 125th WPGA Amateur Championship.
Upon finding out, the 19-year-old put a newly found calm demeanor to use and delivered an epic finish to a milestone major championship.
Fuhrer shot an 8-under score for the 54-hole event, including a dramatic birdie putt on the competition’s final hole to secure his first West Penn major.
“I mean, I can’t really process it right now,” he said while looking at the W.C. Fownes Trophy on the 18th green after his round. “One name on here that really sticks out to me is Arnold Palmer. He was one of my role models growing up in Pennsylvania. It’s really cool.”
Under the impression that he had a two-stroke lead as he approached the 18th tee, Fuhrer was informed by his caddie that he was currently in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard and needed a birdie to win.
“I knew right when I stepped onto the tee box that I needed to make birdie to avoid going into a playoff,” said the Oakmont Country Club member. “So obviously, I wanted to play aggressively. I hit a great drive, probably one of my best of the tournament. Then, walking up the hill, I saw where it ended up.
Fuhrer had done exactly what he needed, pounding his drive up the hill of the nearly-reachable Par 4, placing it just shy of the green. A chip and a short putt of four feet down a slope clinched a win for the rising college sophomore.
“It’s hard to get (thoughts of missing the putt) out of your head,” he said. “A downhill four-footer is not an easy putt to make under pressure. I just tried to block everything out as much as I could and step up. I’ve hit a million of those in my life, so I focused and trusted it.”
Fuhrer’s putt pushed him ahead of Darin Kowalski and 16-year-old Carson Kittsley, who nearly became the youngest winner of the prestigious competition that is one of the country’s longest-running amateur golf events.
“I didn’t know that until now, but it’s super cool to hear,” said Kittsley, whose score of 65 on Tuesday was the day’s low round, and who would have surpassed William Miller and Arnold Palmer, who each won the West Penn Am at 17 years old. “It’s awesome to think I’m close to where someone like Arnold Palmer was at my age.”
Kittsley, also a member at Oakmont Country Club, was a teammate of Fuhrer’s at Fox Chapel High School.
JF Aber shot 6-under, good for fourth place. Hunter Swidzinski placed fifth with a 5-under mark for the week.
But it was Fuhrer, who shot an opening round score of 63 and then followed with a 1-under round of 69 yesterday for a lead after 36 holes, who will see his name etched into West Penn golf history.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “My uncle, Frank Furher, won this a couple times. My family has always been deeply tied to golf, and it’s awesome that I can continue that legacy.”
Frank Fuhrer III is one of the area’s most decorated amateur players ever, having been inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame in 2014. Fuhrer III won the West Penn Am in 1978 and 1979. His grandfather, Frank Fuhrer Jr., was one of the region’s most influential golf moguls of the last century.
The younger Fuhrer, who just completed his freshman golf season at George Mason University, becomes the player to win the WPGA Amateur as a rising college sophomore or younger since 2012, when Greg Podufal claimed the title before his sophomore season at Georgetown.
Fuhrer, a fiery player as a junior who achieved success at the regional and state level a year ago, credited his ability to remain calm under pressure, particularly when he lost a four-stroke lead early Tuesday due to a double bogey on the fourth hole.
“When I was younger, if I hit a shot like that in a high-pressure moment, I probably would’ve collapsed,” he said. “But now, I just try to take it one shot at a time. I’m going to make mistakes. I’m human. But I just tell myself, ‘Okay, that shot’s over. Next one.’”
For final results, please click here. (GGID: 25WPGAAMATEUR)
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.