First student caddie from Langston Golf Course earns Evans Scholarship

Becomes first awarded Evans Scholar in partnership with National Links Trust

GLENVIEW, IL – A student caddie from National Links Trust’s Langston Golf Course in Washington, D.C. has been awarded the Evans Scholarship – a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies – following a final selection meeting interview held Feb. 7.

Butheyna Dahmani of Washington, D.C. will begin college this fall as an Evans Scholar, the first caddie to be awarded from Washington D.C. and the first from National Links Trust’s Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program at Langston Golf Course.

She will attend one of the Program’s 24 partner universities nationwide, with a decision on her awarded school to 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.

Currently, a record 1,130 caddies are enrolled at 24 universities nationwide 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.

As the Evans Scholars Program continues to grow nationwide, more students from newer areas in the East, including from Washington, D.C., are being introduced to the opportunity to caddie and potentially earn a full college scholarship.

Three years ago, the WGA first launched a youth caddie program at Langston Golf Course, in partnership with National Links Trust, a nonprofit that works to positively impact the Washington, DC community through golf and rehabilitate and operate three public courses in D.C.

Butheyna, a participant in the First Tee of Greater Washington, D.C., is the first awarded Evans Scholar caddie to come from the effort, which provides local students an opportunity to work and earn money. The program is funded by the WGA and covers the cost of caddies for players.

“We are all so excited to have Butheyna as our first Evans Scholar recipient,” said Damian Cosby, PGA, National Links Trust Executive Director, and a WGA Director. “I know this scholarship is life-changing for her. With her personality and what she has learned from caddying and the Vardaman Program, we know she will be successful academically and professionally in the future. She represents the very best of our program and the impact golf can have on the lives of young people.”

Butheyna, a senior at Parkmont School, plans to study biology in college. She grew up with a single mom and will be the first in her family to attend college. “During my childhood, money was the biggest issue in the family,” she says. “Money was something my family worked hard to earn to keep the lights in and food on the table. The last priority they had was education, and I am beyond grateful to have been afforded the opportunity and blessing to have the chance to my college tuition paid for from my experiences as a caddie.”

She credits a lot of big life lessons to her summer job. “It has provided many lessons about change,” she says. “Weather conditions, different personalities of my golfers, or the variety of playing levels. Regardless of these differences, my job as a caddie is to make their playing experience the best it can be. The ability to adapt to change is paramount to growing as a person.”

“We are incredibly proud of the impact our caddie program has on young people like Butheyna,” said WGA Director and National Links Trust Co-Founder Will Smith. “She is an outstanding young woman, and we are eager to watch her inspire younger kids and teens in the community to achieve great things through golf.”

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.

“We are thrilled to welcome Butheyna to the Evans Scholars family,” said WGA Chairman Steve Colnitis. “Her dedication in the classroom, on the golf course and in her community represents what our Program has been about since 1930.”

Funds for the Scholarship come mostly from contributions by more than 38,500 supporters 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. This year, the BMW Championship will be held from Aug. 20-25 at Castle Pines Golf Club in the Denver area.