ORLANDO, Florida – Amanda Vogt, a rising junior at Penn State University, and Aman Misra, who is pursuing a doctorate in journalism and media at the University of Tennessee, have been named the first two recipients of the inaugural Herbert V. Kohler Jr./GWAA Scholarship.
Vogt and Misra, who were chosen by a seven-person panel of judges, will each receive $5,000 to apply toward the 2024-25 academic school year.
Vogt, from Wayne, N.J., is majoring in broadcast journalism, and aspires to one day work in golf, hoping to stay connected to “the sport that always lets me be myself.” She was credentialed to cover the LPGA’s Cognizant Founders Cup and Mizuho Americas Open earlier this year in her home state, and in 2023 was there to write about Rose Zhang’s thrilling victory in Zhang’s first start as a professional at Liberty National.
This summer, Vogt worked as a communications intern for the Carolinas Golf Association. Having now learned many of the behind-the-scenes, detailed tasks that go into producing a tournament, Vogt – who played on her high school golf team – said, “I cannot imagine myself in any other industry.”
Said Vogt: “I am truly honored to win the Herbert V. Kohler/GWAA Journalism Scholarship. The members of the GWAA and golf media are people I truly look up to. It means so much to be recognized. As a communications intern with the Carolinas Golf Association this summer, I’ve grown more passionate about eventually working in the industry. Every aspect of the game – whether it’s setting up tournaments, watching coverage or reporting live – brings me tremendous joy.”
Misra is from India and has worked as a freelance journalist for Golf Digest India and The Telegraph (Calcutta) among other media outlets. He moved to the United States in 2021 having been accepted into graduate school, with a goal of studying public memory and media perception of disability in sport.
While at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Misra has studied the lives of such golfers as Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Casey Martin and Tiger Woods, hoping eventually to turn what he has learned through his research into a book.
Misra was introduced to golf by his mother, Mayura, who was a ranked golfer in India and competed alongside the likes of Simi Mehra (LPGA) and Arjun Atwal (PGA Tour/PGA Tour Champions), the first female and male golfers from India, respectively, to win professional titles on American soil. Misra wrote a first-person account detailing his first start in a professional event in India.
Misra has developed a relationship with writer Guy Yocum, a longtime GWAA member and PGA of America Lifetime Achievement in Journalism honoree who had a distinguished career at Golf Digest for nearly four decades.
Yocum has served as a mentor to Misra, helping him to critique his work. Wrote Yocum of Misra, “I don’t recall seeing a brighter, more determined young person with so great passion for the game and golf journalism. He is polite, smart, articulate and so willing to work hard in order to succeed.”
Said Misra: “Having been aware of Mr. Kohler’s contributions to the game of golf, I am honored to be associated with his name. It is indeed love of the game and its stories that bind us across cultures and continents. I would also like to thank the Golf Writers Association of America for this opportunity. The Herbert V. Kohler scholarship will go a long way in assisting with my doctoral research in golf history at the University of Tennessee’s School of Journalism and Media.
“I’m also thinking of mom back home in Calcutta. She introduced me to the game of golf – without her I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
This year marks the start of a five-year relationship between the GWAA and the Kohler Companies, which has generously committed $50,000 toward scholarships for journalism/communications students who have expressed an interest in pursuing careers in golf media and/or the golf industry. In addition to what each recipient receives monetarily toward school, each recipient will be invited to attend and cover a marquee professional golf event as a guest of the GWAA in 2025.
The Herbert V. Kohler Jr. Scholarship is dedicated to the memory of the longtime chairman and CEO of Kohler Co., the company that built a golf empire in Wisconsin. Blackwolf Run has played host to two U.S. Women’s Opens; its neighbor property, the Irish-themed Whistling Straits, has been home to three PGA Championships, a U.S. Senior Open, and the 2021 Ryder Cup, won by the U.S. Kohler also purchased and renovated the iconic Old Course Hotel and Hamilton Hall (now Hamilton Grand) in St. Andrews, Scotland.
“It’s an honor for us to help the GWAA and these two worthy recipients,” said Dirk Willis, PGA, vice president of golf, landscape and retail at Kohler Co. “I know Herb would be very proud to be a part of helping them achieve their goals.”
