Two New Staff Members Join Championship Department

The PNGA championship department selected two new staff members during the off season. Nate Schroeder is the new Manager of Rules and Competition, and Niko Suntay is the Assistant Manager of Rules and Competition.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Niko most recently was the tournament manager intern for the Southern Ohio PGA Section, where he was primarily responsible for the running of the SOPGA’s Futures Tour events, as well as being the primary liaison for the SOPGA Caddie Program.

Niko attended Ohio State University, and received his Master of Education degree in Sports Administration from Cincinnati’s Xavier University. He had never been to the Northwest before, but he’s always been fascinated by Seattle. “I grew up a huge fan of Ken Griffey, Jr.,” he said. “I even told that to Scotty (Crouthamel) when he interviewed me for the job. When Griffey was traded to the Reds, I was ecstatic.” Cincinnati is Griffey’s home town.

Nate is also new to the Northwest. “I’ve never been here before,” he said. “But I came here for the opportunity.” Coming from Minnesota, Nate said he’s definitely not going to miss the Midwest winters, and “even the rainy days here are better than 10 below.”

Nate graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. degree in Sports Management. Just prior to joining our staff, he was for six months a USGA P.J. Boatwright Jr. Intern at the New York State Golf Association, where he worked in their championship department. “I’m really looking forward to getting out to the venues this season and meeting the players,” Nate said.

Welcome aboard, guys.