Rochester student earns full college scholarship for caddying

Evans Scholarship awarded to Oak Hill Country Club caddie

GLENVIEW, IL – A student from Rochester, New York, has been awarded the Evans Scholarship, a prestigious full housing and tuition grant offered to golf caddies, following a selection interview held Dec. 19.

Shazia Muhammad will begin college this fall as an Evans Scholar, attending one of the Program’s 24 partner universities nationwide. 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.

Muhammad, who was raised in a single-parent home, is a senior at Our Lady of Mercy School in Rochester and caddies at Oak Hill Country Club. In college, she plans to study computer science, with hopes to someday establish her own tech company.

“Caddying transformed a mere job into a tapestry of experiences and a vital support for my family,” she says. “Caddying has genuinely changed my life — shaping my education, social perspective, relationships and more. It has served as a compass, pointing me toward personal growth and success.”

Muhammad is part of the club’s Caddie and Leadership Academy, which was founded by Patrick M. Bailey, who serves as a WGA Director and is an Evans Scholar Alum. 

“Shazia has embraced caddying and the values it instills since her first day in our Caddie and Leadership Academy at Oak Hill Country Club,” Bailey says. “She has not only worked hard at perfecting her caddying but has also become one of the young leaders by her example on and off the golf course. We are excited to have her join the Evans Scholar Program, and, as an Alum of the program, I am excited to have her as a fellow Evans Scholar. I look forward to seeing her growth in college and beyond.”

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.

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 Shazia 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 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.

The BMW Championship has contributed $50 million to the Foundation since 2007, helping award full tuition and housing college scholarships to more than 3,300 caddies during that time. In 2027, the BMW Championship will be held at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City, with the club planning to launch a dedicated youth caddie program this year.