Behind the greens with Senior PGA Championship volunteers

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (WNDU) - A tournament like the Senior PGA Championship doesn’t happen without the help of quite a few folks pitching in.

Volunteers have flocked to Harbor Shores Golf Club from as far as Maryland to help put on the tournament this year, after the pandemic kept it away in 2020.

For one volunteer, his influence on the local athletic community goes even further than the golf course.

“I am an athletic director for St. Joe High School as well, so it’s fun to come out here and share my passion for sports,” says Ropes & Stakes Committee chair Kevin Guzzo. Even though this week may spread him a bit thin, Guzzo says it’s ‘well worth it.’

“Once you get out here, you feel the energy as soon as you walk on Harbor Shores Golf Course. You’re part of a great event. This event could never happen without the volunteers of southwest Michigan,” Guzzo adds.

Another pair of volunteers -- Vishal Shah and Jamiee Kerhoulas Shah -- have seen a substantial growth in their relationship since they first started volunteering in 2014.

“We actually — the first time we volunteered for this event in 2014 we were dating,” Jamiee explains.

“Came back in 2016 we were engaged. Vishal... upgraded to the walking scorer job so that we could be partnered together, so we got to do all our volunteering sessions together which was great.

“2018 (we) came back again; we were married. Again, kind of a package deal. & now here we are in 2022, a package deal once again -- and now we have a one-year-old son that will be coming out on Sunday to watch us do our thing.”

The tournament is all staffed up for volunteers this year, but the need for them will return in 2024 when the Senior PGA Championship comes back to Benton Harbor. To learn more about how you can pitch in, just head to their website.

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