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Trade In From the PGA
Making Their Mark: 2026 PGA of America Intern Class
By Emily Tavares
Published on
While the summer may be wrapping up, the journey for the 2026 PGA of America interns is only getting started.
Over the past eight weeks, 13 interns from across the country earned the opportunity to work in different departments that run one of the world's largest sports organizations.
"I gained invaluable experience with the PGA while finding 12 lifelong friends. It’s crazy to think we were strangers three months ago, and now I can’t imagine life without them," said Mia Smith, Graphic Design Intern.
As interns, the group wasn't just observing from the sidelines; they were trusted with meaningful work and real responsibilities. The scope of the internship extended far beyond the walls of the PGA’s Home Office in Frisco, bringing the cohort to iconic venues across the country and giving them front-row seats to Major Championship golf.
On the road, several members of the intern team supported the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine, assisted with the PGA Championship at Aronimink, and worked on the ground at Pinehurst for the PGA High School Golf National Invitational.
Back home, the experience was just as high-stakes: sitting in on major planning meetings and contributing directly to the 2027 PGA Championship coming to Fields Ranch East.
“Getting the opportunity to photograph two Major Championships this summer is something I never could have imagined when I applied,” said Kennedy Silverman, Digital Intern. “It not only helped me grow professionally, but it also instilled a deeper confidence in my ability to contribute alongside such an incredibly talented team.”
Beyond championships, the intern team took the lead on summer-long initiatives. From building operational dashboards and planning company-wide events, to creating a centralized platform for career planning, their work directly supported everyday operations across the PGA of America.
Get to know the interns who made an impact:
- Caroline Adkins, People Team (North Carolina State University): Planned intern and employee engagement events while modernizing both internal and external resources to elevate the PGA’s people experience from recruitment to onboarding.
- Anna Bennett, Member & Amateur Championships (University of South Carolina): Assisted in running the 2026 Junior PGA Championships, supporting all behind-the-scenes operations to ensure a seamless and successful championship experience.
- Ava DiMuzio, Finance (University of South Carolina): Managed daily financial tasks and collaborated across Tech and Partnerships to turn complex data into clear insights, while building a web-based AI tool to automate core accounting processes.
- Jace Fenlon, Brand & Marketing (Michigan State University): Tracked, analyzed, and audited PGA.org using Amplitude dashboards to optimize site performance for users, while simultaneously collaborating across teams to curate and launch the "Five Things To Know" newsletter for PGA of America Members.
- Ethan Kuzmik, Enterprise Technology (Ohio State University): Built a benchmarking website allowing regional PGA Sections to compare performance metrics, while developing upgrades for both the internal hub system and the corporate paid time off (PTO) workflow.
- Lathika Krishna, Career Services (Bethune-Cookman University): Launched and marketed the new Career Profile while developing a premium facility database for ExecuSearch and restructuring the Career Services HUB to optimize operational efficiency.
- Nora Maciak, Global Media (Baylor University): Produced social content for the PGA WORKS Fellowship program and assisted in broadcast production for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Additionally, formed a new relationship between Golf+ and the PGA of America while conducting partnership research at Fanatics Fest in New York.
- Hayden Osborn, Player Engagement (Indiana University): Led the planning and execution of the 2026 Drive, Chip and Putt competition for PGA Frisco staff members and administered National Collegiate Club Golf Association (NCCGA) events within Golf Genius.
- Kennedy Silverman, Digital (University of South Carolina): Photographed the PGA Championship, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and the 2026 Boys PGA High School Golf National Invitational, while maintaining an active role across the PGA of America's social channels and filming/editing the intern end-of-year video recap.
- Kaylin Simmons, Technology Services (Baylor University): Built a centralized Technology Inventory Dashboard and a live Drive, Chip and Putt staff dashboard, while enhancing technology operations through daily IT support and on-site championship services at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
- Mia Smith, Brand and Marketing (Creative) (Auburn University): Designed key visual assets across major events, including PGA HOPE flags, official 2027 PGA Championship souvenir items and PGA Show deliverables, while collaborating across teams to produce client-aligned designs under event timelines.
- Ridley Soro, Player Engagement (University of Kansas): Compiled national high school rankings to coordinate invitations for the 2026 PGA High School Golf National Invitational, while assisting in the execution of the staff Drive, Chip and Putt competition.
- Emily Tavares, Public Relations (Syracuse University): Crafted a variety of deliverables for PGA Members and marquee events like the Junior PGA Championships, while elevating internal and external communications across the PGA of America.
Ultimately, the cohort was given the autonomy to make this summer whatever they wanted it to be. For this group, that meant taking full advantage of every experience, both inside and outside the office.
"This internship gave me the unique chance to see how different teams work in the building," said Kuzmik. "I learned from everyone around me. It has given me a perspective of the business and has shaped my understanding of where I want to go in my career."
That mindset carried over into how the team spent their time outside the workplace. As a group of non-Texans, the summer was as much about immersing themselves in the Lone Star State as it was about professional development. The interns fully embraced the local culture, heading to the Stockyards in Fort Worth, picking out cowboy boots and hats, catching a Rangers game and watching World Cup action at The Star.
Their summer in Frisco was about so much more than just a line on a resume. As the internship draws to a close, the lessons learned, connections made and work accomplished by the Class of 2026 will shape their futures for years to come.
