Golf is the easy part for Patrick Rukundo, a junior at Wilberforce University, who was born and raised in a refugee camp in Rwanda before emigrating with his family to the United States in 2016.
“My parents fled civil war in Congo in 1997 and began the process of coming to America when I was 13,” Rukundo said. “Once I got here, I tried every sport I could before being introduced to golf by William Ware, who was restarting the golf program at Wilberforce in 2020 and looking for players.”
Ware’s connection to Steve Jurick, executive director of the Miami Valley Golf Association (MVGA), led Rukundo to work for the MVGA in the summer of 2021 before Jurick offered him the opportunity to work as a Boatwright Intern in 2022.
“Before I joined, I didn’t know anything about golf – the Rules, how tournaments are run, nothing,” said Rukundo. “Working as a Boatwright intern, I was able to see the opportunities that the golf industry had and the people it allowed you to meet. I saw that golf was about more than just playing. It gave me the chance to learn to work as a team and have the confidence to be the person you want to be and accomplish what you want to accomplish.”
While golf will remain part of Rukundo’s life moving forward, his professional calling is rooted in the perseverance gained during his childhood and a desire to pay it forward.
“Growing up in a refugee camp without electricity has motivated me to become an electrical engineer,” he said. “I want to do things to help other people. During the time I needed help, I had people who were willing to help me. I want to be that guy to others.”
More than 125 “Boatwrights” are hired annually and exposed to all aspects of golf administration, from conducting competitions and junior golf programs to supporting membership initiatives. The impact is multiplied by its more than 3,000 alumni, many of whom occupy leadership positions in golf and beyond. By any measure, the internship is the most significant of its kind in the golf industry.
The program honors the contributions of P.J. Boatwright Jr., the USGA’s third executive director, who played a pivotal role in the development of both the USGA and golf in the United States. An accomplished amateur player and one of the game’s foremost Rules experts, he served as executive director of the Carolinas Golf Association for five years before joining the USGA in 1959. He served the association until his death in 1991, leaving a legacy of sportsmanship and service.
This content was first published in Golf Journal, a quarterly print and monthly digital publication exclusively for USGA Members. To be among the first to receive Golf Journal and to learn how you can help make golf more open for all, become a USGA Member today.