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The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

DePaul students gain valuable experience at 39th Ryder Cup

One of the most impressive comebacks in golf history took place in the Chicagoland area last weekend at the 39th Ryder Cup, and some DePaul students got to experience it all firsthand.

Last winter and spring, students in the School of Management (specifically in Sports Management classes) were visited by Pro Golf of America’s (PGA) Corporate Hospitality Sales Coordinator, Bryan Karns. Bryan was recruited by DePaul professors to share with students his career path, daily duties and any relevant opportunities the PGA may have had for internships or jobs.

One professor in particular, Andy Clark, was well aware of what would be presented to the students because of the news that the Ryder Cup, the world’s most prestigious and competitive golf tournament, would be held at Medinah Country Club in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Karns and his boss, Corporate Hospitality Director Larry Sinclair, decided to pool students from both DePaul and Loyola for internship work to prepare Medinah for the tournament, which took place Sept. 25-30th.

Students were given the option for class credit for their work, which for some began as early as June and July. The Corporate Hospitality Assistant Internship, as it has been informally called, was open to students from a variety of concentrations and to friends of DePaul and Loyola students at other institutions.

The goal of gathering these interns and giving them the opportunity to work corporate hospitality was two-fold: to put intelligent, hard-working individuals in service roles to high-profile clients, and to allow for those students to use and practice their networking skills in doing their respective jobs. The Ryder Cup, being that it attracts an international audience, serves bi-annually as a quasi-networking event because of the multitude of companies that buy hospitality packages as gifts or perks for their employees and clients. The sport of golf has traditionally been viewed as the rich man’s sport, and plenty of money is put into the hospitality end of such events as the Ryder Cup.

As supplements to the networking opportunity and historic experience, the interns were provided with top-of-the-line apparel to serve as their uniforms. Nike Golf jackets and slacks, Cutter Buck shirts embroidered with the Medinah logo, ties and backpacks were all given to students at no cost to them. Additionally, on days that the interns were not scheduled to work, or at times when their shifts had ended, they were allowed access to the grounds of the event to watch some of the worlds top golfers in action for free.

Friday and Saturday of the 39th Ryder Cup ended foursome and four-ball match play with the U.S. up on Europe 10-6. Midway through singles play on Sunday, things looked promising for the U.S. team, but a catastrophic turn of events led to a European victory with a score of 14 Ô_to 13 Ô_.

There are numerous reasons for the faulty performance by the U.S. Team: lack of firm leadership by team captain Davis Love III, the apparent jinx of Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods in Ryder Cup play (Furyk has been on six teams and only won twice and Woods has been on the team seven times and only won once), and outstanding golf on Sunday by the likes of European players Lee Westwood, Paul Lawrie and Martin Kaymer (who made a five-foot putt on the 18th hole that is said to have been the end-all be-all for the whole tournament).

A large majority of the coverage of the Ryder Cup addressed how enthused the crowds were at Medinah, often comparing the levels of excitement to what one would typically see at a European rivalry soccer match. One thing goes without saying — DePaul students contributed to the excitement, both as fans of golf and sport, and as future professionals seeking connections. No matter the motive for opting to become an intern with the PGA for the 39th Ryder Cup, a valuable and memorable experience was the outcome.

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