Sons of Strokes! | Special Guest: US Open Championship Director Charlie Howe

On this episode of Sons of Saturday, Billy and Pat are joined in North Jersey for an in-person interview with U.S. Open Championship Director, Charlie Howe! On the heels of the PGA Championship, Charlie walked us through the implemented changes to the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, which included a delayed start from June to September 17-20th.

Charlie has climbed the ranks through the United States Golf Association. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 2006, and completed a Sport Leadership Master’s from VCU in 2007. After an internship with The Martin Agency in Richmond, he began his career with the USGA as an intern for the US Open at Torrey Pines. Since then, he has ascended to Championship Director, holding the following roles:

• Operations Intern, 2008 U.S. Open (Torrey Pines)
• Championship Office Liaison, 2009 U.S. Open (Bethpage Black)
• Operations Coordinator, 2011 U.S. Open (Congressional Country Club)
• Assistant Manager, 2013 U.S. Open (Merion Golf Club)
• Championship Manager, 2016 U.S. Open (Oakmont)
• Championship Director, 2018 U.S. Open (Shinnecock)
• Championship Director, 2020 U.S. Open (Winged Foot)

In addition to learning about Howe’s career, we also learned about his Virginia Tech experience and involvement as an alum. Charlie was a midfielder for the Hokies Men's Soccer team from 2002-2006, and captained the team in 2005 & 2006 under Coach Oliver Weiss. His Hokiesports.com bio described him as “Most consistent player on team, terrific work ethic and discipline, good in the air and on the ball, flawless character and super stamina ... Role model for many younger players ... Defensive midfield engine, but has the ability to be effective in many positions ... Will continue to surprise people as a reliable and grounding element for the entire team ... Co-captain.”

While at Virginia Tech, Charlie was also a member of the GERMAN Club and Athletes for Action. As an alum, he sits on the board of the Monogram Club as the men's soccer representative and has come back to campus to participate in speaking events for the Sports Business Club at Virginia Tech.