Pat Cullen, a retired plumber and pipe fitter, first attended the UNC Health Championship when a coworker offered him a free ticket he had been given for volunteering.
The next year, having enjoyed the tournament, Cullen signed up to volunteer himself. Now, after 17 consecutive years of volunteering with the championship, Cullen was named the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Volunteer of the Year.
“You get to work with a bunch of great people,” Cullen says of his volunteer work. “And I like golf.”
Cullen’s volunteer recognition came with a $5,000 award, which Cullen plans to donate to the Parkinson’s Foundation and NC Children’s, a planned freestanding children’s hospital that the UNC Health Championship also supports.
Cullen has worn several different hats volunteering with the championship over the years. When he first started, he worked concessions, “selling Coke out of a little trailer in the woods.” He moved onto product delivery, and, in 2025, he stepped into a role as tournament cochair of product delivery.
Cullen has become a familiar face and a resource for everyone involved with the championship — from volunteers to the golfers on the Korn Ferry tour.
When the UNC Health Championship opens in May 2026, Cullen will be back volunteering. “It’s a lot of fun,” says Cullen.
