What It’s Like to Intern at the PGA of America: A Behind-the-Scenes Look

This summer, 11 of the best and brightest received the opportunity to intern for the PGA of America.

Along with incredible opportunities such as working a Major Championship – the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at PGA Frisco – and helping with the PGA High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst, the interns took advantage of a summer full of growth and bonding. 

One thing all of the interns agreed upon was how valued they felt within the Association. From the first day, every intern was trusted and given tasks that made an impact. 

“When I came to work Champ (PGA Championship at Quail Hollow), I was immediately trusted and taken in by my team,” said Caitlin Cassidy, Digital Team Intern. “There was no hesitation or ‘oh she is just the intern,’ especially when it came to running such a public-facing platform as TikTok.”

TikTok was not the only thing the interns were trusted with this summer. During the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the interns played many pivotal roles. 

Thomas Krilowicz, Global Media Production and Wagering Intern, assisted with interviews that were broadcast on NBC and Peacock, helped craft questions for interviews –  including the champion's interview with Minjee Lee –  and assisted with filming inside the ropes. I was the Public Relations Intern, so I worked in the Media Center, assisting media with anything they may need, and in the Player Interview Area, helping coordinate player interviews and making sure things ran smoothly behind-the-scenes. 

Interns Anna Wallin – Championships (Member and Amateur Championships) Intern, Kathryn Tipton – People Team Intern, Aidan Lew – Career Services Intern and Sarah Miller – Brand and Digital Marketing Intern, all volunteered in various capacities during the championship, including helping register players and caddies and assisting with videography on the course. 

One of the highlights for the interns from KPMG Women’s PGA Championship was getting to take a photo with the Champion, Minjee Lee. 

“I think my most memorable experience was definitely at KPMG when we got to take the picture with the trophy and the Champion,” said Sarah Miller, Brand and Digital Marketing Intern. “I feel like being able to do that was definitely a bonding moment, and all of us just watching it together, too, was a lot of fun.”

Cassidy, Wallin and Matt Attak – Member and Section Operations Intern, traveled to Pinehurst, North Carolina, to assist with the PGA High School Golf National Invitational. They learned how to run an event, including assisting with registration, recruiting and being a starter on the tee box. 

Summer was full of more incredible opportunities for the interns. They also learned from many PGA of America leaders. Having ice cream with Sandy Cross, Chief People Officer, and breakfast with Derek Sprague, PGA, CEO of the PGA of America, provided the interns an opportunity to learn from some of the best in the industry. 

“This summer allowed me to get better business acumen and understand the behind-the-scenes of a global sports organization," said Nyuani Crowelle, Home Team Intern. “Understanding that I can be an impactful part of the growth of the company was very rewarding. I think most internships don’t hit that mark, and I was glad to be a part of such a great organization.”

Outside of the office, the interns took many opportunities to grow closer. The interns spent their time outside of work playing The Swing – PGA Frisco’s 10-hole short course – exploring the DFW area and just hanging out in the dorms. 

“The main memory that I will keep with me is being with all the interns, especially after work, when we would go to The Swing or we'd go to the Ice House,” said People Team Intern Kathryn Tipton. “I think that the quality time that we have spent together makes up the memory of a lifetime.”

Check out some of the projects the interns worked on this summer and watch their summer recap video!

Matt Attak, Member and Section Operations: Restructured the Member and Section Organization Chart and compiled and analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from the monthly department survey.

Anna Wallin, Championships (Member and Amateur): Reformatted the Championships website and assisted in running the PGA High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst

Sarah Miller, Brand and Digital Marketing: Created the Annual Meeting Timeline for Election Years, Non-Election Years and The Home of the PGA Day. 

Alexis Bruce, Player Engagement: Provided all customer service initiatives for PGA Jr. League and coordinated a Drive, Chip and Putt event for the PGA Frisco Staff.

Aidan Lew: Career Services: Created a report to determine what employers in the golf industry were looking for and a compensation dashboard to show the average income for job positions by location. 

Nyauni Crowelle, Home Team: Refurbished the Emergency Response Plan and The PGA of America Section & Building Operations Playbook featured on The HUB. 

Kathryn Tipton, People Team: Designed and created a page on the PGA Careers Website highlighting the Internship experience with the goal of expanding the internship program. 

Caitlin Cassidy, Digital Team: Handled the maintenance and upkeep of the PGA of America's TikTok, which included running it at PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. She was the primary distribution lead for Instagram at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and was lead photographer at the PGA High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst. 

Thomas Krilowicz, Global Media Production and Wagering: Assisted with broadcast productions, most notably the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Conference USA Media Day

Kaitlyn Pratt, PGA Reach: Assisted with the Beyond the Green event and compiled a list of all benefits offered to Veterans in each section. 

Grace Bartley, Public Relations: Assisted in running the Media Center and Player Interview Area for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, creating materials such as media advisories, press releases and recap stories for multiple events, including the PGA High School Golf National Invitational, Junior PGA Championships and PGA Jr. League Championship.