{"id":640788,"date":"2026-05-13T15:13:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/640788\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:13:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:13:17","slug":"the-pga-championship-wouldnt-be-possible-without-its-3000-volunteers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/640788\/","title":{"rendered":"The PGA Championship wouldn&#8217;t be possible without its 3,000 volunteers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">The <a class=\"relative z-1 text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode\" data-link-type=\"article-body\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/topic\/pga-championship-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/topic\/pga-championship-2026\/\">PGA Championship<\/a> is expected to bring 200,000 spectators to Aronimink Golf Club before it crowns a winner on Sunday. That\u2019s a lot of foot traffic making its way around the <a class=\"relative z-1 text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode\" data-link-type=\"article-body\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/topic\/newtown-square\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Newtown Square<\/a> course, which is hosting the year\u2019s second major championship \u2014 one that wouldn\u2019t be possible without the more than 3,000 volunteers who will be on site this week. <\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">\u201cWe truly could not do it without them,\u201d said Jacob Wilson, the volunteer operations manager of this year\u2019s PGA Championship. \u201cThey\u2019re the lifeblood of the championship with everything they do. They help our team at PGA of America operate. And they also create a warm, welcoming guest experience for everyone on the property.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">The volunteers will be involved in over 20 committees, ranging from championship services and spectator services to player services and administration. <\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p type-interstitial text-primary\">\u00bb READ MORE: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" data-link-type=\"interstitial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/sports\/rory-mcilroy-pga-championship-grand-slam-aronimink-greens-20260512.html\" class=\"no-underline text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode\">Rory McIlroy lauded Philly as \u2018a wonderful golfing city.\u2019 Can the Masters champ win another PGA Championship?<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">Some of their more popular committees are the scoring committees, the marshals, and <a class=\"relative z-1 text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode\" data-link-type=\"article-body\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/sports\/pga-championship-merchandise-tent-aronimink-golf-gear-20260511.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/sports\/pga-championship-merchandise-tent-aronimink-golf-gear-20260511.html\">the PGA shop<\/a> \u2014 which has about 800 volunteers, including <a class=\"relative z-1 text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode\" data-link-type=\"article-body\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/topic\/berwyn\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Berwyn<\/a> native Scott Lamb. <\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">\u201cWe\u2019re a very well-oiled machine,\u201d Lamb said. \u201cWe know how to get everybody through as quickly as possible. So it\u2019s pretty much idiot-proof. Everybody here is happy. They\u2019re excited. They can\u2019t wait to get out on the course. So we\u2019re happy to help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">The PGA Championship is the 10th PGA event Lamb has attended \u2014 but this was his first as a volunteer, and the experience has not disappointed. <\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">\u201cIt\u2019s been great,\u201d Lamb said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a lot of fun helping out. I think the biggest purchase I had was $2,100. Somebody brought $2,100 worth of stuff. So it\u2019s like Christmas in May.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">This wasn\u2019t 70-year-old Bill Phillips\u2019 first rodeo. Phillips was a volunteer at the 2018 BMW Championship, the last PGA Tour event at the course, and the <a class=\"relative z-1 text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode\" data-link-type=\"article-body\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/topic\/wayne\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Wayne<\/a> native only lives about two miles away. He\u2019s also a member at Aronimink, so he knows the course like the back of his hand \u2014 and now he\u2019s getting to know the 18th hole a little better as a marshal for the week. <\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p type-interstitial text-primary\">\u00bb READ MORE: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" data-link-type=\"interstitial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/sports\/pga-championship-matt-alex-fitzpatrick-brothers-20260512.html\" class=\"no-underline text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode\">Brotherly Love in Philadelphia: The fairytale story of Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick at the PGA Championship | Marcus Hayes<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">\u201cThis morning I came here at 8:30 a.m.,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cI\u2019ll be here through 2:15 p.m. And we rotate through the different positions on 18. So right now, I\u2019m crossing guard. I was a fairway marshal. And I\u2019ll move up to the grandstand and then eventually maybe make it to the tee box.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">In terms of preparation for the event, the PGA sent out an instructional video on how to be a marshal. <\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">\u201cThe PGA is really organized,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cThe video is about 20 minutes long, and it\u2019s really helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">Phillips isn\u2019t the only local lending a hand in their own backyard. Newtown Square native Ski Szymanski, her left arm still in a sling, wasn\u2019t letting April rotator cuff surgery stop her from \u201cgiving back to the community\u201d as part of the ShotLink committee. <\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">\u201cIf they lose the ball off the [Toptracer] rangefinder, then I go find the ball,\u201d Szymanski said. \u201cIt\u2019s crucial. They could never do an event like this without volunteers. Everybody else working here is a paid person and it\u2019s amazing. I\u2019ve been watching this place go up for months and it\u2019s amazing. The intense labor that goes into it. The planning, the logistics, it\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">While on-course volunteers are important, they\u2019re just as crucial off the course \u2014 especially at the PGA Championship, where food and beverages are included with each ticket. <\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p type-interstitial text-primary\">\u00bb READ MORE: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" data-link-type=\"interstitial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/sports\/braden-shattuck-pga-championship-local-aronimink-20260511.html\" class=\"no-underline text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode\">The \u2018maze\u2019 of Braden Shattuck\u2019s last seven years has led the Delco native to the PGA Championship at Aronimink<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">Andy DeStefano, a 32-year-old Pottstown native, volunteers in the food and beverage area and spends most of his day providing directions for fans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">\u201cI mean, where would they go for the mustard and the ketchup for their hot dogs if they didn\u2019t have us?\u201d DeStefano said. \u201cThe volunteers are very important, obviously. Just being able to direct the flow of traffic, letting people know where certain things are. There\u2019s a lot of us. So if you can\u2019t find me, you\u2019ll find somebody in 50 feet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">Although a lot of area golf fans took advantage of the opportunity, with a men\u2019s major returning to the area for the first time in over a decade, volunteers aren\u2019t limited to the Delaware Valley. This year, there are 37 states and five countries represented among the volunteers. The farthest is coming from New Zealand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p text-primary  \">\u201cThey are truly coming from all over. We appreciate everyone traveling from near and far to help us,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cThey really help us in every facet. We really could not do it without them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"inq-p type-interstitial text-primary\">\u00bb READ MORE: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" data-link-type=\"interstitial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/sports\/aronimink-pga-championship-best-view-seating-area-fan-zone-20260511.html\" class=\"no-underline text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode\">Where to get the best views at Aronimink, what\u2019s in the Fan Zone, and more from Day 1 of PGA Championship practice<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min The PGA Championship is expected to bring 200,000 spectators to Aronimink Golf Club&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":640789,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,276694,99],"class_list":["post-640788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-pga-championship-volunteers-aronimink-golf-club","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=640788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/640789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=640788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}