By Bob Holmes
Columbia International University alumnus Brandt Toburen was playing a round of golf with friends when his mobile phone rang on the 18th hole. The caller ID read: Augusta National.
“My heart started beating really fast,” recalls Toburen, a 2025 graduate of CIU’s Sport Management major. “I answered it … and I was offered an official position.”
That call was a dream come true for Toburen, who also played on the CIU Rams golf squad for three years. He will begin the seven-month seasonal job at Augusta National beginning in December, a time when one of the most prestigious golf courses in the world is already gearing up for the famous Masters Tournament scheduled for April 9-12, 2026.
An Important Assignment
Toburen is assigned to a preparatory four-person merchandise team that will ready the entire merchandise operation at Augusta National. That is a more important job than you might think. Toburen calls the Masters “the most profitable and popular merchandise operation, and they are only open nine days each year.”
According to Golf Digest, Augusta National makes about $1 million every hour, and $10 million every day during the tournament.
Toburen has been told that the closer the time gets to the actual tournament, the more he can figure on a 100-hour work week.
“I’ll be looking forward to it. It will definitely be a tall task, but it’s something I’ve been looking forward to embracing and being a part of.”
In the meantime, Toburen is working as an assistant golf pro at another prestigious golf club, the Old Edwards Golf Club in Highlands, North Carolina where he is learning various aspects of the business including informing members on daily conditions, making sure tee times are running on schedule, assisting in the golf shop, and offering golf instruction. It is also there where he met Russell Henley, one of the top professional golfers in the world.
CIU: “Not Just a Number in a Classroom”
Toburen credits CIU’s Christian environment, the Sport Management program, and his professors for preparing him for these opportunities.
“I really enjoyed how much the professors invest in you. They care about you. They look out for you,” Toburen said. “You are able to develop a personal relationship. You are not just a number in a classroom like at some big universities.”
He also notes that the structure of Sport Management classes helped set him up for success.
“It was very presentation-based. A lot of the time you are standing up in front of crowds and working on your public speaking and your relationship skills — that’s very important in life today … because I think technology can hinder that. It is something that will be very good to me to be successful in the sports industry.”
Memories as a CIU Ram
Toburen also carries with him fond memories of his time with the Rams golf team. In his last collegiate tournament, the team fell only three strokes short of making it to the NAIA National Championship. And while there was disappointment, he says the deep bond he developed with teammates was one of love and appreciation.
“It is something I look back on and was very thankful to go through with them because I don’t think we were ever more connected as a team leading up to that tournament and being in the thick of the fire together.”
C’mon Spring!
For now, Toburen is helping the Old Edwards Golf Club in the North Carolina mountains wind down for the season. But December is not far away and that’s when he’ll head south to his next career assignment waiting for those famous spring azaleas of Augusta National to bloom and The Masters tournament to begin.
“It still doesn’t feel real that I’ll be working for what many would consider the greatest golf club in the world.”
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