Chris Condon / PGA TOUR
While the Rio Olympics were filled with dozens of memorable moments, for Kirsten Burgess the highlight came in the lead-up as the final eligibility rankings were released for the first Olympic golf competition in over 100 years. “I’ll never forget staying up until three in the morning trying to get that last ranking right,” she said.
Helping set the Olympic qualifying criteria is just one of the many projects and opportunities Burgess has worked on during her time at the PGA Tour. In her 20 years with the tour, Burgess has served in multiple roles, including the executive assistant to Tim Finchem when he was commissioner. Over the past three years, Burgess has worked across the PGA Tour’s various tours to help create a more streamlined and unified competition space. She helped lead the development and rollout of this season’s Designated Event system, along with the tour’s previous work creating a strategic partnership with the DP World Tour.
PGA Tour Executive Vice President Tyler Dennis said Burgess’ work and relationships with the players and agents have been among the most invaluable skills to have over the past few years. He said that next year’s new PGA Tour schedule and cadence of signature events was almost solely thanks to Burgess’ efforts.
While producing a more clear and unified golf ecosystem shows how she has made an impact, Burgess also credited her position with creating greater diversity among women in sports business. She said she distinctly remembers sitting in on a meeting with the commissioner and noticing something that was a bit eerie. “Everyone in there was not just the same gender, but they were all wearing the same shirt color,” Burgess said.
But in the years following, she’s seen women like herself continue to step into high-level positions and become role models for the next generation of leaders in golf. — Wes Sanderson
Kirsten Burgess
Senior Vice President, Competition Administration, PGA Tour
Born: Arlington Heights, Ill.
Education: Florida State University, B.A., communication
Family: Spouse, Shawn; children, Brooks (13) and Brady (10)
More about Kirsten
Something that instantly makes my day better: My children.
Advice to my younger self: Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Asking a question shows interest in making sure you have all the information; it does not show weakness.
If I did not work in sports, I would be in … : If money were no object, I would happily be a yoga teacher.
Proudest professional achievement: Helping the team develop the entirely new PGA Tour schedule launching in 2024.
I wish I’d known at my career's start: It’s OK to pick up knowledge as you go along. Just say yes to the next opportunity and listen and learn along the way. You can learn as much from doing as you can from any sort of degree.
