Golfer Buechele ’26 lands prestigious USGA internship

Viking golfer Abby Buechele ’26 is living her best life this summer. One of a select group of interns participating in the United States Golf Association’s highly competitive Boatwright Internship Program, Buechele is discovering what her future could look like.

The communication studies major is a tournaments and championships intern based in New Jersey, gaining hands-on experience in event operations, connecting with leaders across the golf industry and learning about careers in the sport she loves.

"I was incredibly excited when I learned I had been selected," said Buechele of St. Charles, Ill. "While I felt that I had built a strong connection with the supervisors who interviewed me, I was still nervous because I was applying for a position out of state. So receiving the offer was very rewarding and validating."

Bobbie Tidball, Augustana’s assistant director of internships, describes Buechele as a “great fit for the program” and notes that her story shows how Augustana students can use the services in CORE (Careers, Opportunities, Research, Exploration) to help determine their paths. 

Buechele and her CORE career coach, Beth Ford, have collaborated for four years. For this internship, she worked with Ford to strengthen her interviewing skills using the S.T.A.R. (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method. “Learning how to clearly communicate my experiences and accomplishments gave me more confidence,” Buechele said.

She also believes playing collegiate golf helped her stand out as a candidate: “Competing in numerous tournaments and serving as a team captain for two years strengthened my leadership, communication and teamwork skills. Those experiences taught me how to build meaningful relationships, work effectively with different personalities and lead by example. These are skills that have been invaluable in my work with the USGA this summer.”

Most mornings begin at 6:30 a.m. as interns prepare courses for competition by setting up tee locations, registration areas, starting tents and scoring stations. Throughout the day, Buechele assists with player check-in, scoring and tournament administration while working alongside staff members, volunteers and competitors. No two days are alike.

“One of the biggest things I have learned behind the scenes is how many people and departments are involved in making a championship successful,” she said. “Fans and players see the competition itself, but there is a tremendous amount of planning, communication and coordination that happens before and during each event.”

Among the highlights of Buechele’s internship experience so far was attending the Boatwright Summit at USGA headquarters, which brought together interns from across the country for professional development and networking. She heard presentations from USGA leaders, including CEO Mike Whan, and learned about the many career paths available within the golf industry.

"Being able to work closely on tournaments and see the behind-the-scenes effort that goes into running events has confirmed that this is the environment I want to build my career in,” she said.