By Julliana Bravo
Determination defines Gabby Herzig. Growing up on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and playing golf don’t necessarily go hand in hand, but Herzig (with the help of her mom trekking her around the Met Area) made it happen. Her golf skills took her all the way to Pomona College in Southern California, where she captained the women’s golf team her senior year. The summer after her freshman year in 2018 proved pivotal career-wise: She interned at Fox Sports as a production runner, at both the Curtis Cup and U.S. Open. It was a typical internship of getting coffee and delivering packages, but she realized she felt confident around golf, and, most importantly, she loved it. Herzig didn’t know her career was going to revolve around her favorite sport, but one thing led to another, and now she has her dream job as a staff writer covering golf at The Athletic, the de facto sports section for The New York Times.
My grandparents on my mom’s side introduced me to the game. They live in Minneapolis, and my family and I would visit during the summer. My grandparents really wanted to get a club in my hand, but as a six-year-old, I was resistant at first. We went to the driving range at Glen Lake Golf Club right outside Minneapolis, and that's where I swung a club for the first time. From the moment I made contact with the ball, I was hooked. The majors were appointment viewing for my family growing up, and we were always talking about the sport. I grew up in a golf-obsessed household.
I always knew I wanted to play competitive golf. I grew up playing Met PGA, Hurricane Tour, and Connecticut PGA tournaments. When it came time to apply to college, I wanted to blend a great academic fit and the opportunity to play college golf. I went through the recruiting process, reached out to different programs and coaches, and eventually landed at Pomona College, which had rich academics and a spot for me on the DIII golf team. It was the first time I was able to play and practice all year round, and I had a blast. I loved being able to play nine holes with my friends in the offseason and hit balls outside in the dead of winter. I had always experienced golf as an individual sport. But the team aspect of college golf was incredible. Sometimes it was hard to balance academics, practice, and social events, but I made it work. My teammates are still some of my best friends to this day.
I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself, mentally. I’d have a perfect practice round but then play horribly in a tournament. In high school, the recruiting season was especially tough. It was hard not to compare myself to peers who were getting into top schools around the country. I had to teach myself to be confident, put my blinders on, and carve my own path. In college, having a team around me really helped me detach my ego from my scores and results. It helped me have more fun with the game.
I try to play as much as I can, which means about once a week at Old Oaks Country Club in Purchase, N.Y. (site of the 2025 Met Amateur July 29–August 3), weather permitting. I also try to take my clubs on the road and get a round in when I’m traveling.
I did not expect to end up here! It kind of snowballed after my freshman year of college. I was a politics major and classics minor, which was code for, I have no idea what I want to do with my life. After freshman year in 2018, I was desperately trying to figure out what to do with my summer. Last minute, I got the opportunity to work as a production runner at Fox Sports, first at the Curtis Cup at Quaker Ridge and then at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock. I did typical intern tasks like cleaning the trailers, grabbing coffee, and delivering packages. But during those two weeks, I got my first exposure to the sports media world. I knew golf, I knew the etiquette, and how to operate in this setting. So, at the U.S. Open, I was assigned to be a personal runner for TL Fiedler, a features interview producer for Fox Sports at the time. I proposed interview questions, did research, took notes for the producers back in the TV truck. I still remember my first glimpse at the media center and its rows and rows of desks. I couldn’t believe this is what some people did for a living, and I asked myself: “What do I have to do to get to that point?” The following year at Pomona, I joined The Student Life, the school newspaper. I worked on all sorts of stories in basketball, football, even water polo – anything I was assigned.
My senior year golf season was canceled due to COVID, which was very unfortunate. But since I wasn’t traveling the country playing tournaments, I was able to intern at Golf Digest. Alan Pittman, the managing editor at the time, had a huge influence on my writing. A few months after that internship ended, I was brought on to work on the affiliate marketing team, but I still pitched feature stories and ideas for professional golf coverage on the side. It was a great experience, but I knew that eventually I wanted to be in a role that was more boots on the ground. I landed a job as a breaking and trending news writer with Sports Illustrated in 2022. I wrote about everything and anything, on the men’s and women’s side, and paid constant attention to the news cycle. Then, in January of 2024, The Athletic reached out to me. I still remember getting the email and running over to my parents to tell them about the message. It was a publication I had always admired, and after a lengthy interview process, some of my favorite writers in the business became my coworkers. In the 12 months that I’ve been here, my writing and craft has improved tenfold because of the brilliant editors at The Athletic and the resources I have around me.
Sports Illustrated had a round of layoffs in early 2024, right around the time I landed at The Athletic. I’d say you’re never guaranteed your job in this industry, and it’s extremely difficult to find one in the first place. It’s competitive, and you have to work ten times harder than everyone else to stay afloat. Not many people say that they get to work in sports. It’s crazy that I get to do this for work. I’m very grateful.
I wrote my most ambitious story last year about the PGA Tour’s negotiation with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, and how those negotiations could potentially be impacted by the U.S. presidential election and the Department of Justice’s antitrust review. It was one of those stories I was fascinated by but also scared to write because of how intense the subject matter was. I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off at any other publication. Our editorial director helped shape the idea, and he encouraged me to explore every step possible – reach out to legal experts, former US Department of Justice officials, law professors. It was daunting but great to be encouraged like this. At The Athletic, stories go through rounds and rounds of editing; we triple fact-check every detail to make sure we get it right. I also love writing about those “off the beaten path” stories, like my piece on the rise of YouTube golf. I also wrote about Golf Channel’s Johnson Wagner and his newfound stardom. Those stories had a lighthearted tone but were equally as rewarding.
At The Athletic, we take pride in being the eyes on the ground and providing original reporting to subscribers. The social media news cycle is essentially the same information bouncing back and forth in an echo chamber. The journalism that we do uncovers the information that has yet to be discovered. I believe that job is important, and I take my responsibility seriously when I step onsite at a tournament as credentialed media. Artificial intelligence bots aren’t interviewing the best player in the world, or talking with PGA Tour coaches, or calling up executives about the future of the sport. Even when I attended my first tournament, I realized how beneficial it was to pay close attention to body language and player mannerisms that don’t come through on TV. That’s what separates us.