Behind the scenes 

Emily Palmer didn't plan on a career in golf administration, but she got one anyway. And a good one, at that. Robert Beck, USGA Emily Palmer’s golf administration career started on a whim. Two decades later, she has become one of the most invaluable voices at the United States Golf Association where she currently serves as the organization’s chief member service officer. Palmer, born and raised just south of Seattle in Auburn, Washington, came from the definition of a golf family. Her parents, Jim and Jennifer von Doehren, were longtime school teachers who regularly volunteered at the Washington Junior Golf Association for many years. Palmer spent her summers competing in junior golf alongside her younger brother Brendan, and the two would go on to play Division-I college golf in the early 2000’s — Palmer at Northern Arizona University and Brendan at Loyola Marymount. “Golf is sort of woven into the fabric of our family,” Palmer told GGPWomen.

Brendan dreamed of getting a job with the PGA Tour, and he would eventually do just that in...