New Jersey Golf Welcomes 2026 USGA P.J. Boatwright Intern Class
(L-R) Evan Walenty, Ryan deVarenne, Jake Puskar, Abby Buechele, Aidan Lavin, Asher Gross
KENILWORTH, N.J. - This summer, New Jersey Golf proudly welcomes five USGA P.J. Boatwright Interns who will play an important role in supporting the Association’s championship administration, communications, membership and foundation initiatives throughout the season.
The 2026 intern class includes tournament operations interns Abby Buechele and Ryan deVarenne, communications interns Asher Gross and Aidan Lavin, and membership and foundation intern Evan Walenty.
Funded in part by the United States Golf Association through philanthropic contributions, the P.J. Boatwright Internship Program provides young professionals with hands-on experience in golf administration while helping Allied Golf Associations expand and enhance their services to golfers. The program is designed to introduce participants to careers in the golf industry and has become one of the most successful professional development initiatives in the game.
Throughout the summer, New Jersey Golf’s Boatwright interns will assist with a wide range of responsibilities, including championship operations, communications and marketing efforts, member engagement initiatives, and foundation programming. Their work will help support the Association’s busy championship schedule and year-round efforts to serve golfers across the state.
Since its inception in 1991, the Boatwright Internship Program has provided opportunities to more than 3,500 interns nationwide and continues to serve as a pipeline for future leaders in the golf industry. Today, 38 percent of Allied Golf Association staff members and 33 percent of AGA executive directors are Boatwright alumni. In 2025 alone, the USGA awarded $2.1 million in grants to support 219 interns across the country.
The program offers exposure to numerous areas of golf administration, including tournament operations, communications and marketing, membership and foundation services, course rating, adaptive golf, turfgrass management, data analytics, and accounting.
As the golf season continues across New Jersey, Buechele, deVarenne, Gross, Lavin, and Walenty will gain valuable experience working alongside New Jersey Golf staff while contributing to championships, member programs, and initiatives that help grow and strengthen the game throughout the Garden State.
New Jersey Golf is proud to welcome its 2026 Boatwright Intern class and looks forward to helping each participant take the next step in their professional journey within the golf industry.
While you'll see them working behind the scenes at championships and member events all summer long, we wanted to introduce the 2026 Boatwright Intern class beyond their job titles. Here's what they had to say.
Abby Buechele, Tournament & Operations
Hometown: Saint Charles, Ill.
School/Graduation Year: Augustana College, 2026
Major: Communication Studies
Favorite Course: Kingsbarns
Dream Foursome: Rory McIlroy, Victor Hovland, Nelly Korda
Go-To Snack at the Turn: Pretzels
One Word to Describe Your Golf Game: Adaptive
Coffee order: Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso
Walk or ride?: Walk
Dream Job: Something in the golf industry
Ryan deVarenne, Tournament & Operations
Hometown: Chatham, NJ
School/Graduation Year: Hobart College, 2027
Major: Business Management
Favorite Course: Ridgewood Country Club
Dream Foursome: Rodney Dangerfield, Sebastian Maniscalco, and John Daly
Go-To Snack at the Turn: Bag of Lays & Blue Gatorade
One Word to Describe Your Golf Game: Chaotic
Coffee order: Black Iced Coffee
Walk or ride?: Ride
Dream Job: Tour Caddie
Asher Gross, Communications
Hometown: Montclair, NJ
School/Graduation Year: Ithaca College, 2027
Major: TPDM (Television, Photo, and Digital Media)
Favorite Course: Elm Tree in Upstate NY
Dream Foursome: John Daly, Lebron, Me, Matthew McConaughey
Go-To Snack at the Turn: Hot dog
One Word to Describe Your Golf Game: Top
Coffee order: I don’t drink coffee
Walk or ride?: Ride
Dream Job: Personal Videographer of a Celebrity or my Best friend if his music career takes off
Aidan Lavin, Communications
Hometown: Randolph, NJ
School/Graduation Year: 2025 Marist Graduate
Major: Communications
Favorite Course: Dye Course at Barefoot Resort, Myrtle Beach
Dream Foursome: Stephen Curry, Luke Combs, Michael Jordan
Go-To Snack at the Turn: PB&J Sandwich
One Word to Describe Your Golf Game: Work in progress
Coffee order: No coffee, strictly water
Walk or ride?: Ride
Dream Job: Whatever is fulfilling and brings happiness
Jake Puskar, Tournament & Operations
Hometown: Summit, NJ
School/graduation year: University of South Carolina, 2026
Major: Sport and Entertainment Management
Favorite course: Augusta National Golf Club
Dream foursome: Tiger Woods, Jack Hughes, and Paul Bissonette
Go-to snack at the turn: Hot dog
One word to describe your golf game: Chunk
Coffee order: Hot with cream and sugar
Walk or ride: Ride
Dream job: General manager of an NHL team
Evan Walenty, Membershop & Caddie Scholarship Foundation
Hometown: Forked River, NJ
School/Graduation Year: University of Delaware, 2026
Major: Marketing
Favorite Course: Twisted Dune Golf Club
Dream Foursome: JR Smith, Cameron Young, Shane Lowry
Go-To Snack at the Turn: Chocolate Chip Cookie and Gatorade
One Word to Describe Your Golf Game: Dialed
Coffee order: Caramel iced coffee, 2 creams, 1 sugar, sweet cold foam
Walk or ride?: Ride
Dream Job: Event Marketing for the NFL/MLB
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