Journalism major tees up career preparation with shadowing effort at U.S. Open

(Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of stories about students in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications completing summer internships.)

PITTSBURGH — Amanda Vogt knows a bit about approach shots on the golf course and a bit about how to approach her intended career in sports communications.

This week those things come together during the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.

It’ll be Vogt’s first visit to the history-rich golf club, located 14 miles northeast of downtown Pittsburgh along Hulton Road. She earned the opportunity as part of a scholarship from the Golf Writers Association of America, and she’ll be on site from June 10-15.

Vogt, a senior journalism major from Wayne, New Jersey, was notified about the scholarship last July and was informed she’d be going to the U.S. Open to shadow media members and maybe do some writing herself in January.

The waiting has been the hardest part.

“Back in January, I Googled the number of days until the Open, and it seemed like so many,” she said. “At this point, though, my family is ready for it to happen and for me to get there. I talk about it all the time, and I think they just want to hear some other stories.”

Vogt has plenty to tell, thanks to her time at Penn State.

As part of partnerships between the Associated Press and the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism, she’s covered the Little League World Series and the Paralympics in Paris. She’s also covered Penn State football games, hosted shows on CommRadio, launched a podcast and been voted president of the campus chapter of the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM).

“She’s a rock star — one of the good ones that makes the whole band better,” said John Affleck, head of Penn State's Department of Journalism. He’s also the director of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism and AWSM’s faculty adviser. “Amanda’s hard working and talented. She’s one of those students who makes you proud to be at Penn State.”

Vogt quietly assessed the quality of her golf game — “I can hold my own, but I don’t play as much as I used to.” The patient, thoughtful approach that serves her on the course has helped her find success as she pursues her bachelor’s degree at Penn State. She’s earned opportunities because she consistently strives to improve, and none of what she does comes with any kind of look-at-me bravado.

That’s thanks in part to her high school golf coach. She started to immerse herself in golf and sports writing about the same time.

“He always told us that you don’t need to try to hit the hero shot. It’s OK to go for the middle of the green and trust your putting,” Vogt said. “Once you approach it with not trying to put everything on your shoulders, there’s a lot more freedom.

“So, I kind of take time to plan everything out and give it a little more thought,” Vogt said.

Vogt completed a summer-long internship with the Carolinas Golf Association last summer, helping to promote golf tournaments and assisting with related duties in the region. During a couple of well-placed days off, she attended two days of competition at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. She said the sunup-to-sundown experience was fun and instructive — but she expects her time at Oakmont to be entirely different.

“It was helpful to see the magnitude of a major championship, and to hear the roars of the crowd. That was awesome,” she said. “This will be a working trip, though.”

She’ll be happy to trade the fan experience for more of a professional development mindset as she meets with members of the writers’ association and visits with outlets covering one of golf’s four annual major championships.

She knows the days may be even longer this summer. She also knows all the storylines — from Oakmont’s expanded and always fast greens to continued major championship efforts by Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, along with the hopes of the other 154 golfers in the tournament field.

Vogt has proven her versatility as a sportswriter, even though golf remains her favorite sport. If she’s not covering golf in the future, she could envision working in the industry, maybe with an organization like the U.S. Golf Association.

For now, though, she’s sticking to her plan.

After this week at Oakmont, there will be a bit more time with family, continued work at her hometown Preakness Valley Golf Course and then an end-of-the-summer assignment covering the Little League World Series again. After that, she’ll be back on campus starting her final year at Penn State and helping lead AWSM and its couple hundred members toward their own goals.

After all, she knows a bit about how to succeed at Penn State.