USGA Celebrates National Intern Day, Creating Golf's Future Leaders

Ahead of National Intern Day on July 31, the USGA is sharing the organization's 2025 investment into the future of golf leadership, shedding light on an emerging workforce that is both highly skilled and uniquely equipped to support the game’s growth.

In 2025, the USGA funded more than 370 interns – a number that exceeds the USGA’s current full-time workforce of 361 – reflecting the organization’s continual focus on career development. That annual investment exceeded $2 million again this year. 

“The rising number of applications to our internships goes hand-in-hand with golf’s increase in popularity,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “More and more people are falling in love with the game and are interested in careers in golf.”

Facts and insights behind the 2025 USGA intern class:

• A record-high 215 Boatwright interns were hired across the USGA’s network of 57 AGAs in 2025. The USGA’s longest-running internship program, dedicated to cultivating the next generation of golf administrators, extends to every state and can last from 3-12 months.
• The USGA’s Pathways Internship Program received a record 750 applications from an international pool in 2025, marking a highly competitive process to fill the final 24 spots for the immersive 10-day learning experience at the U.S. Open Championship.
• The USGA hired 10 Green Section interns this year, tapping into post-undergraduate-level students from programs committed to agronomic research and advancing the science and sustainability of golf courses.
• More than 100 USGA seasonal interns were hired to gain valuable experience in fields such as ticketing, hospitality, merchandising, marketing, communications, and championship operations.
• There are more than 3,000 Boatwright alumni; 38 percent of AGA staff members and 33 percent of AGA executive directors are former Boatwright interns.
• Candidates interested in working in golf bring a wide variety of skill sets. This year’s pool of interns majored in fields such as economics, architecture, plant science, kinesiology and business administration.
• Boatwright alumni are employed across golf and sports organizations, including the PGA Tour, Boston Celtics, Golfweek, the USGA and organizations supporting the 2028 Olympic Games.
• Many USGA interns volunteer their time outside of their internships and schoolwork, as coaches for their local First Tee and LPGA/USGA Girls Golf chapters, Special Olympics, youth sports programs and other community charities.
• The majority of USGA interns play or participate in sports and fitness activities including lacrosse, skiing, basketball, hockey, soccer, hiking, pickleball and others. 
• The 2025 Boatwright class also features Evans Scholar Allison Heniff and Francis Ouimet Scholarship recipient Peter Delmonico. 

Beyond the statistics, USGA interns introduce new ways of working and thinking to advance the game, while continuing to widen the workforce pool as the golf industry continues to expand. 

This year’s intern class are highlighted by the following:

• Alejandra Sierra: A USGA Green Section Intern originally from Honduras, Alejandra is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Florida whose research focuses on optimizing fertilization and water conservation. She graduated from and later worked at EAP Zamorano in Honduras, a private, nonprofit agricultural university dedicated to applied research, innovation and sustainable development in Central America and worldwide.
• Tim Armstrong: A 2025 Boatwright Intern who, at age 66, is exploring a second career in golf administration with the Texas Golf Association after retiring from a 40-year career at General Motors. An avid golfer, he started a mobile golf simulator business, worked as an after-school golf coach and created content for his own YouTube channel prior to the internship.
• Christian Tavares took advantage of multiple internship opportunities to learn about career opportunities in sports. A 2024 USGA Pathways intern, his ability to shadow team members during the U.S. Open at Pinehurst led to a seven-month championship ticket operations internship at Oakmont this year. At 30 years old, Tavares gave up a career in transportation to pursue his dream to work in sports. He was recently hired by a customer acquisition/marketing firm while he pursues a master’s degree in sports management.
• Isaiah Shareef: A 2025 Boatwright Intern with the Georgia State Golf Association, Isaiah attends the University of Alabama while pursuing a Sports Management degree. An avid football player, Isaiah’s life changed after he tore his ACL and picked up golf as his second sport. What started as an activity to pass the time became his new outlet. In his own words, “Golf didn't just fill the void football left, but it gave me a new identity, one built on patience, discipline, and purpose.”
• Alegra Gurian and her family were victims of the January wildfires in Pacific Palisades, Calif. A competitive golfer who didn’t pick up the game until she was 18, she used the game as motivation to keep her head up and look towards the future. At age 27, she gained valuable experience through her one-year Boatwright internship with the Southern California Golf Association’s junior program. She has also been a camp coach, plays the violin and worked with kids with special needs. 
• Thomas Wassum: The Hawaii State Golf Association’s Boatwright intern, Thomas was a member of the U.S. Army for eight years and gained experience as an aircraft powerplant repairer, among other skills. Following his discharge he chose to pursue a golf career, working as an assistant golf professional at Kapolei Golf Club for one year and an assistant golf professional at Oahu Country Club for almost three years. 

To learn more about career development and internship programs at the USGA, see www.usga.org.