Intern Spotlight Series: Kennedi Lee

For a lifelong golfer who discovered the sport through Wii Sports rather than family tradition, the P.J. Boatwright Internship has been the next step in turning a personal passion into a professional career for Kennedi Lee.

A Mansfield, Texas, native, Lee began playing golf at 11 years old after deciding to try the sport in real life. “Golf was the hardest sport I tried, so I decided to stick with it to play collegiately,” she said. That decision led to years of competitive play, culminating in a college golf career at both North Carolina A&T State University and Texas Southern University.

After earning an undergraduate degree in journalism and mass communications at North Carolina A&T, she is now pursuing a graduate degree in sports management at Texas Southern. Along the way, she has built an extensive resume in the golf industry.

Her experience includes internships with the USGA as a Pathways Intern, the First Tee of Central Carolina as a player development coach, the I Am a Golfer Foundation as a junior coach, and Cedar Crest Golf Course as a marketing and communications intern. She also worked briefly with the athletic departments at both North Carolina A&T and Texas Southern.

The Boatwright Internship has given Lee a broader perspective on the business of golf. “Being a player of the game for so long, I’ve always wanted to explore other sides of running an event, operations being one of them,” she said.

Lee credits her student-athlete experience with preparing her for the demands of tournament operations. “Managing a student-athlete lifestyle prepared me to work in fast-paced environments when it comes to running a successful tournament,” she said. Additionally, interning at the U.S. Open with the USGA provided valuable exposure to the expectations of working in the sports industry.

While she initially felt nervous about starting the internship, those concerns quickly subsided. “I wanted this to be a valuable and memorable experience for me,” she said. “After getting experience and asking questions, my nerves eventually disappeared.”

Her ultimate goal remains the same: to build a career in the golf industry. “Golf was always the career I wanted to pursue since I’ve been in college,” she said. “This internship has allowed me to expand my experience in both tournament operations and communications on a larger scale.”