He learned the ropes.

• Position: Interview

Reginald "Reg" Jones is managing director of the U.S. Open Championship, the most visible and financially successful of the 13 national championships overseen by the United States Golf Association. While most of the organization's senior staff work out of its Far Hills, N.J., headquarters, Jones, 43, occupies a small office in Pinehurst with four other staff members, just a few miles from the home at National Golf Club he shares with wife Nicole and their three daughters. In his role at the USGA, Jones oversees all "outside the ropes" functions for the Open.

What does "outside the ropes" mean?

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

If you were defining exactly what a behind-the-scenes job would look like, mine would be it. [USGA President] Jim Hyler and [Senior Director of Rules and Competitions] Mike Davis oversee everything inside the ropes, which is what you see on TV. My team is responsible for admissions, corporate-hospitality sales, facility setup, security, transportation, volunteers and vendor operations.

What drew you to golf?

I grew up in Henderson, about a block from Henderson Country Club. The head pro, Jimmy Gurkin, was a great advocate for kids. In the summers, I was at the club all the time, playing, picking up range balls, etc. I played on the high-school team, and I just came to fall in love with the game.

Was it your career choice early on?

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No, because I wasn't at that level as a golfer. When I was looking at career tracks, business was where I was leaning, so I went to Wake Forest. When I graduated, I got a job at First Citizens Bank for about a year. Then I realized that I was really interested in getting into the golf business. Jimmy had bought Willow Springs Country Club in Wilson, so I went to work for him, thinking that I was going to be a club pro. In the two years I was there, I mowed greens, worked in the golf shop, fixed carts, worked in the dining room and did membership billing. It was invaluable experience.

How did you come to leave?

As a player, I was a 4 handicap at my best, so I came to realize that if I had to make a living on my golf game, it wasn't going to be much of one. I had to find a way to better use my talents. I had a friend who introduced me to Ohio University, which had the first sports-management school in the country. Since I was able to transfer credits, I was only in Athens, Ohio, for about six months before I had to do an internship. The timing coincided with the 1994 U.S. Senior...