Out of 4,000 nationwide applicants, Josh Canning ’26 was one of 50 picked for an internship of a lifetime.
Canning joined the American Junior Golf Association over the summer to help organize and officiate tournaments for the nation’s top teen golfers.
“We would help set up the events at some of the nicest courses on the West Coast and officiate them,” he explained. “I got to see around 15 different states that I’ve never been to before.”
Some of the top courses he visited over the summer included TPC Scottsdale in Arizona and Stanford Golf Club in San Francisco, where he spotted NBA superstar Steph Curry tee off for a casual game.
“We’d work tournaments from Monday to Thursday or Tuesday to Friday, pack up, drive to the next place and set up over the weekend,” he explained. “It was 14 weeks, May to August, and each week brought us a new challenge.”
Canning is currently studying business administration with a minor in sports management.
“All the professors have been really good,” he said. “The sports management professors are awesome. They’re always there if I have any questions about internships, jobs and stuff in the industry.”
Canning said he’s a lifelong lover of sports. He currently pitches on the Merrimack College club baseball team. What interests him the most, however, are the logistics behind hosting a professional sporting event.
“I’m trying to work in as many sports as I can before I get out in the real world,” he explained. “I like playing golf leisurely but I really wanted to see the operational side of running a tournament.”
Throughout the summer, Canning worked alongside students from Penn State, the University of Iowa and the University of Florida. Luckily, he wasn’t the only Warrior on the West Coast, as AJGA tournament director Rob Cleary ’23 is an alumnus.
“He was my boss for about three weeks and was a great mentor,” Canning said. “He gave me a lot of advice on how he got to where he was and what he did after college.”
Now back on campus, Canning splits his time as an equipment management intern for the Rhode Island FC soccer team. Still, he said, he can’t stop thinking about his summer on the West Coast.
“I made some lifelong friends that I plan to stay in touch with,” he said. “It was a lot of work. Some times were really tough but there were so many good experiences. Figuring out complicated situations, problem-solving week by week and working alongside a new group of people – it’s an experience that I’ll never forget.”
