New Scholars set to attend University of Kansas

GLENVIEW, Ill. – Two students from the Kansas City area have been awarded the Evans Scholarship – a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies – following a final selection meeting interview at Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills, Kansas, on Jan. 30.

They will begin college this fall as Evans Scholars, with both expected to attend the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Decisions on awarded schools will be finalized by March 15. The Evans Scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 over four years.

The Western Golf Association (WGA), headquartered in Glenview, Illinois, has supported the Chick Evans Scholarship Program through the Evans Scholars Foundation since 1930. Known as one of golf’s favorite charities, it is the nation’s largest scholarship program for caddies.

To qualify for the Evans Scholarship, each student must meet the Program’s four selection criteria and show a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character.

“We are thrilled to welcome these two student caddies to the Evans Scholars family,” said WGA Chairman Steve Colnitis. “Their dedication in the classroom, on the golf course and in their communities represents what our Program has been about since 1930.”

Aiman Boullaouz of Overland Park caddied at Blue Hills Country Club in Kansas City and was raised by his parents, who are immigrants from Morocco. He is a current freshman at University of Missouri in Kansas City and has been awarded the Evans Scholarship for three years, with plans to transfer to his awarded Evans Scholar university.

“At first, golf was a foreign language to me. After my first round as a caddie, I was hooked,” he says. “I’ve since devoted my summers to caddying, which has not only made me a better golfer, but also a better person. It has taught me important life lessons such as patience and consistency and put me in an environment with many role models.”

Anh Tuan Do of Kansas City caddied at Indian Hills Country Club. Currently, he is a senior at Piper High School with plans to study biomedical engineering. He and his sister, who also earned the Evans Scholarship, were raised by their immigrant parents.

“My sister is a role model and great example for me; she helped me learn how to putt and chip on my own,” he said. “Following in her footsteps, I started my caddie journey as a sixth-grader before going through the training program at Indian Hills to be an official caddie. Since then, I have completed 117 loops.”

Currently, a record 1,130 caddies are enrolled at 24 universities nationwide – including 42 at the University of Kansas – as Evans Scholars. More than 12,040 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the Program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. in 1930.

Selection meeting interviews for Evans Scholar finalists will continue nationwide through spring. When the 2023-24 selection meeting process is complete, an estimated 340 caddies from across the country are expected to be awarded the Evans Scholarship.

Funds for the Scholarship come mostly from contributions by more than 38,500 golfers across the country, who belong to the Evans Scholars Par Club program. Evans Scholars Alumni donate more than $15 million annually, and all proceeds from the BMW Championship, the penultimate PGA TOUR Playoff event in the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup competition, benefit the Program. In 2024, the BMW Championship will be held from Aug. 20-25 at Castle Pines Golf Club in the Denver area.