For more than 25 years, the USGA Green Section has provided undergraduate and graduate students with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience through an immersive internship program, and the 2026 class continues that proud tradition. Alumni of the program have gone on to build impactful careers as golf course superintendents, researchers, educators and leaders across the turfgrass industry. We asked each of this year’s interns to share a little about themselves.

Scott Allen, UC Riverside

I am originally from England and currently work in golf course maintenance at Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda. Since entering the industry, I have intentionally sought opportunities to work at internationally recognized courses in different climates to accelerate my understanding of turfgrass management and course preparation. My experience includes tenures at Wentworth Club (England), as well as at Cape Kidnappers and Jack’s Point (New Zealand). While working full-time, I am completing the turfgrass management certificate through the University of California, Riverside. At Mid Ocean Club, I have taken on responsibilities within the spray program and assist with irrigation system repairs. This year, I will participate in course preparations for The Open Championship through the R&A Championship Agronomy Programme. I will also be part of the team preparing Daniel Island Club in Charleston, South Carolina, for the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Championship as a USGA Green Section intern.

Tyler Arends, South Dakota State

I grew up in a small town in southwest Minnesota, where my interest in turfgrass management started while working at Luverne Country Club at the age of 14. I am currently studying horticulture at South Dakota State University and work in the university’s plant breeding lab, where I help with researching new wheatgrass varieties. Most recently, I worked at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio, where I helped prepare the course for the Memorial Tournament and learned about the attention to detail required to maintain championship conditions. This spring, I started my six-month internship at Chicago Golf Club, where I will continue learning what it takes to deliver high-level golf course management. I’m excited to learn from USGA agronomists through the Green Section Internship and to continue building on my knowledge in the turf industry. In my free time, I enjoy playing hockey and spending time outdoors.

Meredith Boos, University of Wisconsin - Madison

As a collegiate golfer, I had the opportunity to compete on many of the best courses in the United States, where I became fascinated by the level of precision and care required to maintain high-quality playing conditions. That curiosity ultimately shaped my decision to pursue turfgrass research. After receiving my master’s degree in environmental biology at Regis University in Denver, I returned to my home state of Wisconsin to pursue a Ph.D. under Dr. Paul Koch at the University of Wisconsin. My research focuses on improving the precision and efficiency of golf course management practices, with an emphasis on pesticide fate and fungal disease control. I am eager to learn from USGA agronomists and golf course superintendents to understand how research can help advance the future of sustainable golf course management.

Carlos Figueroa, Rutgers

Raised in central Oregon, I developed an early appreciation for land stewardship and disciplined agricultural management. Those values ultimately led me to the golf industry, where my experience at Portland Golf Club confirmed a professional calling in turfgrass management and golf course agronomy. Since then, I have advanced through roles with increasing responsibility in irrigation, equipment management and golf course operations, leading to my current position as assistant superintendent at Juniper Golf Course in Redmond, Oregon. As a recent graduate of the Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management Program and former class president, I remain committed to the highest standards of professional growth, service and leadership within the industry. My development has been strengthened by relationships with accomplished professionals across the USGA, GCSAA, Oregon GCSA and leading golf facilities, as well as continued involvement in outreach through the First Green. Being selected for a 2026 USGA Green Section Internship marks an important step toward my long-term goal of contributing to golf course management at the highest level through agronomic excellence, strong leadership and a commitment to championship standards.

Melissa Garis, Purdue

I am currently a junior pursuing my bachelor's degree in agronomy at Purdue University. When I graduate, I plan to attend graduate school and further my education in turfgrass weed science. My interest in turfgrass came from my love of golf and my current role as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Aaron Patton’s lab. I completed my first internship in the golf course maintenance industry at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in New York, where I was able to work with a fantastic team and gain real world experience that allows me to make informed decisions when faced with various challenges. I have great passion for sustainability and water conservation systems which led to my initial interest in the USGA. I hope to explore new places, better understand the work of different course maintenance teams, and expand my professional connections this summer. I am beyond excited to join the Green Section team this year and deepen my understanding of agronomy while developing a solid foundation in consulting.

Brooke Heikkila, N.C. State

My love for both golf and the outdoors led to my interest in turfgrass management. After earning a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Minnesota, I moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina, to participate in the USGA Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program. I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in crop and soil science at N.C. State University, where I am studying the use of machine-vision spot sprayers for weed management on golf courses. The use of machine-vision sprayers enables the application of novel herbicide mixtures and nonselective herbicides that were previously unavailable for broadcast spraying. My research includes density threshold trials to quantify herbicide volume and cost savings for superintendents. After volunteering at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2025, my interest in championship agronomy was piqued. As a USGA Green Section intern, I am excited to learn about the operations of championship tournaments and assist the agronomy team at the highest level.

Bunu Khanal, Clemson

I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University, where my research focuses on understanding and improving biological control strategies for managing large patch disease in warm-season turfgrasses across the southeastern United States. My research integrates laboratory, greenhouse and field studies to better understand plant-microbe interactions and develop sustainable, environmentally responsible disease management strategies for turfgrass systems. I am excited to participate in the USGA Green Section Internship, where I look forward to expanding my agronomic knowledge, working alongside experienced turfgrass professionals, and gaining insight into research-based management practices that support the sustainability and health of golf course ecosystems. Outside of my research, I enjoy reading novels and spending time in nature.

Chris Kelly, SUNY Delhi

I am originally from upstate New York and recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in turfgrass management from SUNY Delhi. I grew up working for a small golf course in my hometown which is where I found my passion for the turfgrass industry. I ended up choosing SUNY Delhi because of its small class sizes and hands-on approach to teaching. After my first year, I interned at The Country Club, in Brookline, Massachusetts, which hosted the U.S. Open in 2022. During my first year of school, I was also able to volunteer for The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Florida. This past year I was fortunate enough to intern at Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey, and I’m currently finishing up a winter internship at Colleton River Club in Bluffton, South Carolina, before returning to The Country Club to assume the role of assistant superintendent. I look forward to gaining more agronomic and championship preparation experience by working with the USGA and their team of agronomists to further my turfgrass management skills.

Samuel Kreinberg, Virginia Tech

As a current Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech under the advisement of Dr. David McCall, I have continued to grow as a turfgrass scientist. At the age of 16, I began working on a golf course as a seasonal employee, but at the time, I did not see a career in turfgrass management in my future. While pursuing a degree in mathematics at the University of Arkansas, I enrolled in an introductory turfgrass management class during my senior year where my career goals pivoted directions in an instant. That transformational class has led me to study turfgrass for the past four years, with three of those years coming as a graduate student. My research interest lies within precision turfgrass management, and my dissertation focus is centered around precision irrigation techniques where technology, statistical modeling and soil physical properties are at the core of my work.

Mark LaBarge, Rutgers

My first experience with turfgrass management was as a greenskeeper at Elmhurst Country Club in Pennsylvania and later at Country Club of Fairfax in Virginia. While there, I greatly enjoyed the work, especially walk-mowing greens, and began to learn about the field of turfgrass management. I knew I found something special and was drawn to pursue a career in turfgrass science. I have now moved to the academic side of turfgrass and am currently a Ph.D. candidate in plant biology at Rutgers University with a focus on turfgrass breeding and management. My current research project is a multidisciplinary study evaluating the potential benefits and limitations of utilizing cold-tolerant bermudagrasses and zoysiagrasses for fairways in the northern transition zone. In addition to my research, I have taught turfgrass mathematics in the Rutgers two-year turf school and aided in the breeding of various cool-season turfgrass species. My interest in golf course turf management has not faded and I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to discover more as a USGA Green Section intern for this summer. I look forward to learning more about the nuances of golf course turf management from the perspective of an agronomist.

Tannor McColly, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

I am a mechanical engineering student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a minor in turfgrass management. I started playing competitive golf as a high school junior and discovered my love for the game. I got a job at The Club at Indian Creek in Elkhorn, Nebraska, where I was not only able to play very frequently and get significantly better, but I was also able to form lots of relationships and understand professional maintenance practices. With this, I realized a job in golf was not only a possibility but something that I wanted to wholeheartedly pursue. I want to bring my engineering background to the forefront of a career within golf to find a niche that I really enjoy. Because of this, I first thought that I wanted to be involved in the manufacturing part of the industry but quickly learned that this was not the road I wanted to go down and switched to pursuing the turfgrass and design side of the industry. My hope is to use my engineering degree to help with water and soil resource management practices, while also seeking routes to becoming a golf course architect – which in the end is my dream job. I look forward to the USGA Green Section Internship because I think it will set me up very well in both knowledge and networking that will be critical in the journey.

Luke Morris, University of Tennessee

I am a senior at the University of Tennessee pursuing a bachelor’s in plant science. I grew up in southeast Tennessee’s Appalachian foothills, where I developed a passion for the outdoors through fishing, hiking, swimming and summer landscaping work. I didn’t discover golf until after high school, when a job at my local municipal course sparked my interest in the game and the agronomy behind it. Since then, I’ve focused on how sustainability, regenerative agriculture, biodiversity and ecology can be integrated into golf course management. I have gained experience as an agronomy intern at The Alotian Club in Arkansas and as a student assistant on the University of Tennessee athletics grounds crew, and I am scheduled to continue my development with internships at Pine Valley Golf Club and Augusta National Golf Club after graduation. Through the Green Section Internship, I hope to expand my hands-on agronomic skills and learn how USGA agronomists approach consulting and high-quality turf management.

Zachary Newsome, Penn State

Originally from Claymont, Delaware, my journey in the turfgrass industry began in 2021 with a summer position at a local country club. That experience sparked my interest in turf management and led me to enroll in Penn State’s turfgrass science program, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in 2023. I’m now a second-year master’s student in Dr. Ben McGraw’s turfgrass entomology lab at Penn State, where my research focuses on how moisture influences annual bluegrass weevil host preference and larval survivorship. By examining how soil and plant moisture levels affect insect behavior and insecticide performance, I hope to develop strategies that improve pest management outcomes. As a returning intern, I’m excited to build on my previous experience by attending additional USGA championships and contributing to research projects at the host courses. I look forward to gaining further insight into the challenges turf managers face and seeing how research and technology are applied to support championship-level playing conditions.

Clay Reierson, Penn State

Originally from Colorado, I’ve always had a passion for golf and the landscape that shapes the game. I earned my business degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a master’s degree in sports management from Liberty University before serving as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. I’m currently studying turfgrass management at Penn State and working as an assistant superintendent in training, where I continue to build hands-on experience and deepen my understanding of course conditioning, agronomy and tournament operations. I hope to one day contribute to the game at a national level through organizations like the USGA. I’m honored to be a 2026 USGA Green Section intern and look forward to learning from Green Section agronomists while continuing to grow within the game.