Anyone who has been doing any activity since they were three years old is probably good at it. Jordan Costello is no exception. The freshman from Pinedale, Wyo. was smashing golf balls while other kids his age were eating dirt. Now, Costello is getting his first tastes of Division I golf as the Utes have gotten off to their best start since 2009-2010.
Despite a short golf season in Pinedale, Costello established himself as a dominant golfer early on in his career. In his freshman season, he won the Wyoming 3A state championship. He would go to win two more individual championships as well as two team championships during his time at Pinedale High School. In his sophomore year, he finished tied for second when the tournament was limited to just one round. As if that wasn’t enough, Costello also played on the Wyoming four-man team that took second place at the Junior America’s Cup.
Costello’s high school recruiting profile reveals all that needs to be said about his love for the game and his work ethic.
“Considering the ground is covered with snow for half of the year, I have become creative about other ways to improve my game,” Costello said. “[That] includes hitting into a net in my garage, watching my self swing in the window and chipping off of the carpet.”
With a desire to constantly improve his game, it is no surprise that Costello was highly sought-after out of high school. He received offers from 14 universities and he finally narrowed it down to Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Colorado and Marquette. In the end, being close to home and having a campus as progressive as Utah’s helped him make his decision.
“I have a lot of friends that go to Wyoming and it would have been cool to play with them, but when it came down to choosing between Salt Lake and Laramie, the choice seemed pretty obvious,” Costello said.
While the road has not been quite as easy for Costello in college as it was in high school, he showed great poise in Utah’s opening tournaments. In the first round of the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate in Pullman, Wash., Costello finished round one six over par. The next day he finished the tournament with the Utes’ best score going 3-under par.
Costello finished the tournament in the 32nd spot individually, but he helped his team finish second overall. He continued his improvement at the Simpson Classic in Colorado the next week as he tied for 24th place individually and he helped the Utes to a third place finish.
While the college game has been an adjustment for the freshman, Costello believes that continued improvement is within his grasp.
“I’ve been talking a lot with coach [Garrett] Clegg about consistency in my game,” Costello said. “Sometimes I feel like I have to birdie every hole, and that’s not always what we need. It’s more about the bogies that I don’t make than the birdies I do make. If I can keep that mentality throughout the season I should be able to continue to do well for myself and the team.
Costello’s end goal is to become a professional golfer, and he believes that out of the 14 schools that recruited him, the U gives him the best chance to get there.