Lafayette Hill, Pa. (June 28, 2025) — PGA of America Golf Professional Ryan Rucinski of Wilmington (Del.) Country Club, battled the field and oppressive heat to capture the 2025 Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club for his first Philadelphia PGA Section victory.

The championship is supported by Srixon | Cleveland Golf, Payntr Golf / Frank Wittenberg / Quaker Sales, Ohana Farm LLC, and the PGA Tour.

Rucinski carded rounds of 66-69–135 to finish at 9-under-par, four strokes ahead of the duo finishing in a tie for second place: Austin Barbin, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club, and Zac Oakley, Bidermann Golf Club. The Country Club of York’s Andrew Turner and Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort’s Brian Bergstol tied for fourth place at 3-under-par.

“My good memories from playing at Whitemarsh Valley in the past helped me,” Rucinski said after his second round. “I was medalist in the Philadelphia Amateur here in 2018. I relied on my past experiences and knowledge of the course. Keep doing what got me here.

He said that he was given a gift, and has been very fortunate to be a part of golf for most of his life.

“Our Section is filled with great players, and we do an amazing job hosting tournaments, so it’s pretty cool to get my name on the trophy.”

Rucinski went on to thank his family, the Wilmington Country Club membership and staff, the Section staff, partners, and Whitemarsh Valley Country Club for hosting.

Our champion, a PGA Associate, is still working through the first level of his PGA of America education and is ineligible to compete in the 2025 Assistant PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on November 13-16. However, seven other Philadelphia PGA Professionals will travel south to compete in the event: Andrew Turner; Brian Bergstol; Andrew Cornish, Green Valley Country Club; Matt Zehner, Pine Valley Golf Club; Zach Barbin, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club; Chad Ferguson, Pine Valley Golf Club; and Zac Oakley. Oakley was already exempt for the tournament in November thanks to second-place-tie in the 2024 championship.

To view the full 2025 Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship leaderboard, click here.

The 2025 Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship is supported by Srixon | Cleveland Golf, Payntr Golf / Frank Wittenberg / Quaker Sales, Ohana Farm LLC, and the PGA Tour. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA of America Golf Professionals thank our partners, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, its membership, management, staff, and host PGA of America Golf Professionals, as the event would not have been possible without their support.

About the Philadelphia PGA Section
The Philadelphia PGA Section, covering eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware, is one of 41 geographical managing entities of the PGA of America. This Section manages nearly 900 PGA of America Members and Associates who are employed at over 590 golf facilities in our region.

Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, mfrey@pgahq.com