The Evans Scholars Foundation has awarded 231 full tuition and
housing college scholarships to deserving caddies throughout the United
States for the 2008-09 academic year.
Evans Scholars are golf caddies who were selected based on four criteria: a
strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and
outstanding character. The scholarships are renewable for up to four years,
and most students will attend one of the 14 universities where the
Foundation owns and operates a Scholarship House.
Recipients were chosen after individual interviews at selection meetings
held
throughout the country by the Western Golf Association. The Evans
Scholarship Program has been administered by the WGA, headquartered in
Golf, Illinois, since its inception in 1930. It is the nation's largest
privately
funded scholarship program.
Additional candidate interviews will occur this summer, with more deserving
caddies expected to earn scholarships for fall 2008. A full list of the 2008
Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship recipients, along with their states,
hometowns and colleges to attend, can be found online at www.wgaesf.com.
"This scholarship is the culmination of years of hard work both on the golf
course and in the classroom," said Don Johnson, president and CEO of the
Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation. "We welcome these
outstanding young leaders to the Evans Scholars family."
"The Evans Scholarship is truly a life-changing opportunity for the
deserving
young men and women who may not otherwise have been able to realize their
dream of earning a college education," said Jeffrey Harrison, vice president
of
education for the Evans Scholars Foundation.
Currently, 835 caddies are enrolled in college as Evans Scholars. More than
8,600 caddies have graduated since the program was founded by
Charles "Chick" Evans Jr., famed Chicago amateur golfer and winner of the
1916 U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur.
The program has a college graduation rate of over 90 percent and an overall
GPA for current Evans Scholars above a 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.
Scholarship funds come mostly from contributions by more than 500 member
clubs, 37,000 WGA Par Club members and 100,000 golfers in the WGA Bag
Tag Program. Evans Scholar Alumni donate over $3 million annually. The
program is also supported by 23 affiliated golf associations and by proceeds
from the BMW Championship, the third of four PGA TOUR Playoff events in the
PGA TOUR's 2008 FedExCup competition. The BMW Championship will be held
Sept. 1-7 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.
For more information, call (847) 724-4600 or visit
www.wgaesf.com
