As an avid fan of golf and a member of the Saints women\u2019s golf team, junior Colleen (\u201cC.J.\u201d) Donegan feels like she\u2019s won the lottery. During the 2018 PGA Championship, one of the game\u2019s most prestigious events \u2014 and in its centennial year \u2014 she\u2019ll be in the middle of the action.<\/p>\n
Donegan was selected from a competitive pool of student applicants as the only marketing and administrative intern for the tournament, which will take place in St. Louis at Bellerive Country Club, located just two miles from Maryville.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime event,\u201d says Donegan. \u201cThis is the reason I got into sports. There\u2019s only one, 100th championship, and I realize the importance of that. It\u2019s unbelievable that I get to work at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donegan applied for the position in early August, but not without some hesitation. As a second-year student, she expected senior-level students to be considered more highly. However, thanks in part to a trio of sports industry experiences she gained in just one year through the Rawlings Sport Business Management<\/a> program, her resume is strong.<\/p>\n Her volunteer positions took place during the 2017 spring semester. Donegan first worked with Rawlings for the St. Louis Cardinals Warm-Up. She also volunteered during the NCAA Division I wrestling championship Fan Festival held in St. Louis, and traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, to work a women\u2019s basketball championship.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing about our program is that you come out of it with such a great resume, it\u2019s hard not to get hired,\u201d Donegan says.<\/p>\n Bellerive offered her the paid internship after phone and in-person interviews.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so excited I can\u2019t put it into words,\u201d she says. \u201cI hung up the phone and was smiling the rest of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n Her parents, who are also avid golf fans, were ecstatic.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mom screamed when I told her,\u201d says Donegan. \u201cMy dad cried, because he was proud of me. Most sophomores aren\u2019t getting internships like this.\u201d<\/p>\n Donegan\u2019s first task is to recruit operational sponsors. She\u2019ll also coordinate event volunteers.<\/p>\n The tournament is scheduled for Aug. 9-12.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m planning to spend my summer living in their office,\u201d says Donegan. \u201cIt\u2019s probably going to be really intense. As a golfer, I understand the importance of an event like this and the history and the drive to make it perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n