Dakharee Mann gained a behind-the-scenes look into one of golf’s biggest tournaments at Oakmont Country Club. Mann, a Slippery Rock University sophomore sport management major from Harrisburg (Susquehanna Township HS), experienced first-hand the inner workings of the U.S. Open tournament through an internship with USGA Pathways. The 10-day internship, on location in Oakmont during the U.S. Open earlier this month, gave college students the opportunity to learn to every facet of the $84 billion golf industry.
“Being one of those people selected for this opportunity, I was very blessed,” Mann said. “I never really thought about the business side of the sport or golf as an opportunity. The experience, connections –– it’s definitely all stuff I can bring back to the University community.”
Mann, along with the 24 other interns, was selected for the Pathways program from a pool of more than 750 applicants across the United States and internationally. He first heard about the internship through Robert Zullo, associate professor of sports management at SRU, where he applied in fall of 2024, making it through multiple rounds of the application and interviewing process and eventually learning in March he would be joining the program.
Days often lasted from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., exploring course maintenance and equipment technology to the complex business deals, corporate partnerships and marketing opportunities. Mann had the opportunity to meet with representatives from some of the biggest sponsors of the Open, as well as USGA President Fred Perpall and CEO Mike Whan.
“Working with brands from Lexus to Amex to Rolex, there was someone to learn from about every facet of the business,” he said. “Every day was something new and you got to learn from a lot of people at the personal level.”
Interns also worked on a case study presentation competition over the course of the internship, where they created a plan and presentation for promoting and diversifying women’s golf. They eventually pitched their ideas to a panel including Perpall and three other executive board members. Mann’s group finished second in the competition.
Mann encouraged other students to strive for experiences that go beyond traditional office-oriented internships, where he emphasized the difference of living in the moment in one of golf’s most renowned tournaments.
“I didn’t really know what to expect at first, but most of all, you can’t be afraid to take risks,” he said. “It’s a very rigorous 10 days; you have to be up, attentive and ready to learn about many different fields. I never personally thought about golf as a career, and now I know about several different facets of golf that I would be interested in working in.”
Learn more about sport management at SRU on the program’s webpage.
