New Scholars selected following interview at South Hills Country Club

GLENVIEW, IL – Three students from the Pittsburgh 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 South Hills Country Club in Pittsburgh on Feb. 8.

They will begin college this fall as Evans Scholars, with most expected to attend Penn State University in State College. 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 three 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.”

Abigail Boyer of Irwin caddied at Pittsburgh Field Club. She is a senior at Norwin High School and intends to study fashion in college, with hopes to one day design women’s golf apparel. She was introduced to caddying by her sister, who is a current Evans Scholar.

“After my first loop, I knew caddying was the job for me,” she says. “Caddying introduced me to successful people from all different career fields, built lifelong friendships and supported me in saving money for a car and being able to travel. Caddying made me into a better person and prepared me for my future goals.”

Luana Silvestre Cesar moved to Pittsburgh from Brazil in 2015 with her family, including her brother, who is also an Evans Scholar. She caddied at St. Clair Country Club and is a senior at Upper St. Clair High School. In college, she plans to study Spanish education.

“Immigrating from a place where there was not a golf course within a hundred-mile radius to being the only female caddie at my club has helped me grow as a person,” she says. “I previously considered myself an introvert, and caddying gave me the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, as well as become financially independent.”

Christian Villa of Finleyville caddied at South Hills Country Club. He is a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School and plans to study aerospace engineering with the dream of one day working at NASA.

“If given the opportunity to design aircrafts for this prestigious company, I plan to retire with enough money to become a member at South Hills Country Club, the club where I have learned so much as a caddie, to live out the remainder of my life on the golf course,” he says.

Currently, a record 1,130 caddies are enrolled at 24 universities nationwide – including 44 at Penn State University – 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.