After your AGA completes qualifying for one of our 14 USGA Championships, players or sides advance to the championship proper. Here’s where the Championships Department gets to work, focusing on the player experience both inside and outside the ropes.

Closing Remarks for the 2021 P.J. Boatwright Virtual Intern Summit

George Waters is the manager of USGA Green Section Education. He has an extensive background in golf course maintenance, design, construction and sustainability. Prior to joining the USGA he also published an award-winning book titled “Sand and Golf: How Terrain Shapes the Game.” He regularly contributes articles and photography for USGA publications – including the USGA Green Section Record, which has been published throughout the Green Section’s 100-year history.

Ben Schade currently serves as the Assistant Director of the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status where his focus is on supporting the USGA’s role in governance. Ben has been a PGA Professional for 9 years and was the First Assistant Professional at Montclair Golf Club prior to joining the USGA.

After being introduced to golf administration as a Boatwright intern with the Oregon Golf Association in 2007, Craig went on to serve that AGA as the Director of Rules Education and the Direction of Oregon Junior Golf. He was hired by the USGA in May 2013 and currently serves as the Senior Director of Rules of Golf and Amateur Status.

This Breakout Session will kick off day 2, giving the interns an opportunity to connect with the Regional Affairs Director and other interns in their Region.

Ever wondered how Don Cheadle ended up in a U.S. Open commercial? Or why the U.S. Women's Open gets more media attention than the other four women's major championships combined? Get a behind-the-scenes look at the USGA Brand Team's goals, objectives and current projects. Don't be shy; come with questions!

Julia Pine joined the USGA in December of 2017 to oversee a broad-based communications strategy for its women’s championships. In her role, she is tasked with managing the communications, media relations, content strategy, reputation management and public relations for eight championships, including the U.S. Women’s Open. She is an integral member of the USGA’s strategy team for the U.S. Women’s Open, one of the most-watched women’s sporting events in the world.

Passionate about the advancement of women’s sports, Julia has the ability to develop industry-wide initiatives that create significant impact across the sport.

The USGA Green Section has been developing sustainable management practices that produce better playing conditions on golf courses for more than 100 years. Learn about the five focus areas that make this possible and check out some new, innovative technologies that are helping golf courses use data to manage more efficiently and effectively than ever before

The Championship Administration team manages the in-house administration of 14 USGA Championships. This presentation will highlight the process of managing entry applications, qualifying, exemptions, and many other key administrative functions.           

This breakout provides our Boatwright interns an opportunity to interact directly with the Product Managers for USGA Tournament Management. Attendees can ask specific questions relating to your association, USGA Tournament Management or even more generally around using software to effectively run golf tournaments

The USGA Foundation secures resources to fulfill the USGA’s commitment to invest in programs and solutions that best serve golf for all who love and play it. The foundation is focused on impact areas that are essential to the health and future of the game: enhancing the on-course experience for all players, creating a healthier relationship between courses and the environment, celebrating traditions, and preparing future leaders. Please stop by and ask us questions about the work we do on behalf of the USGA and the Foundation.

My name is Abigail Blankenship I am from Arkansas. I am a junior at Ouachita Baptist University pursuing a degree in Communications. I work as the Photo Lab Editor for my college and spend a lot of my time photographing events. This is my second summer being a Boatwright Intern for the Arkansas State Golf Association and it has been a wonderful experience.

New to the Boatwright Internship Program? This session will be moderated by former Boatwright and USGA Chief of Staff, Emily von Doehren and will focus on 3 Former Boatwright Interns and their experiences as interns in the program.

Do you follow the USGA, U.S. Open and/or U.S. Women’s Open on social media? We’re guessing yes. Get a behind-the-scenes look into the strategy, creativity, and launch that goes into the post you see on your feed.

Matt Duffy is the Manager of Course Rating & Handicap Research. He has been working at the USGA since September 2017. Prior to working at the USGA, he worked for 5 years as the Member Services Manager at the Northern Ohio Golf Association.

Garrett has been a GHIN Support Coordinator since October of 2019. My core functions consist of assisting and troubleshooting GHIN-related inquiries from Clubs and Associations. Some of my hobbies include cooking, hiking and golfing.

Lee Rainwater is the Assistant Director of Handicapping Education and Outreach. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from Louisiana Tech University and his M.B.A. and M.S. in Sport Management from the University of Southern Mississippi. Lee has over fifteen years of experience in multiple facets of the golf industry, including serving as the Director of Member Services for the Louisiana Golf Association before joining the USGA staff in 2014. His golf goals for 2021 are to play more rounds and to reduce his Handicap Index by at least two strokes! Lee and his wife Kasie reside in Raritan, NJ.

The Boatwright Interns will be provided an overview of GHIN and how we service the AGA community through our product and service offerings. Attendees will come away with an understanding of our product development initiatives and how they can interact with our service offerings as staff members of an AGA.

Join Kimberly Gallo, Head of People, Culture and Development at the USGA for opening remarks and a kick off to the 2021 P.J. Boatwright Virtual Intern Summit.

Rosemary Maravetz is a collections care, management and preservation professional with more than 20 years of experience working with diverse collections of art, artifacts, archives and ethnographic objects. As the Curator of Collections for the USGA Golf Museum and Library, she leads the management of the Museum’s collection, including its documentation, preservation and presentation, while meeting the highest professional standards.

Historian Maggie Lagle’s primary responsibility will be overseeing all internal and external research requests. However, she will also conduct research for special projects, develop content and serve as a Museum representative in videos and tours. Maggie received her M.A. in History-Museum Studies from the University of Central Oklahoma and a B.A. in History from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and has a wide variety of museum archival experience. In addition, Maggie has served as a book reviewer in the field of sport history, recorded oral histories for the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress and taught U.S. Military history at the college level, with an emphasis on the Civil War and the First World War. We know Maggie will make incredible contributions to the Museum and USGA!

This Breakout Session will kick off day 2, giving the interns an opportunity to connect with the Regional Affairs Director and other interns in their Region.

This Breakout Session will kick off day 2, giving the interns an opportunity to connect with the Regional Affairs Director and other interns in their Region.

Tony is the Head of Field Services leading the team of Regional Affairs Directors to create and implement a long-tern vision for strengthening the USGA’s working relationship with the Allied Golf Associations (AGAs), USGA Committee Members, as well as other national and international golf associations. He is an active member of our strategic planning team and was instrumental in the creation of our current three year strategic plan. He also supports our Green Section leading its sales and business development activities. He has been in his role for just over three years.

Tony brings more than 20 years of experience in operations, data analytics and organizational effectiveness. He came from Wyndham Worldwide, a global hospitality company, where he held operations roles since 2005. Most recently he served as vice president, operational excellence where he was responsible for partnering with leaders to support effeciency in performance, customer service and innovation. Prior to his tenure at Wyndham, he worked for Honeywell International supporting operations domestically and internationally.

Tony holds a bachelor’s degree from the New York Institute of Technology and an MBA from Babson College. He is also a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Here are a few things you might like to know about him:

• More time for golf. He broke 90 for the first and only time last year, his goal is to get his handicap index to 18 by the end of this year.

• Inspiration. His dad is someone who inspires him. He taught Tony to work hard, treat people fair and always do the right thing – no matter how difficult.

• Family-first . Tony enjoys spending time with his family, whether at home coaching his daughters’ sports teams or traveling to new destinations.

This Breakout Session will kick off day 2, giving the interns an opportunity to connect with the Regional Affairs Director and other interns in their Region.