Student caddie from The Country Club of Florida earns full college scholarship

Becomes first Evans Scholar in club history

GLENVIEW, IL – A student caddie from The Country Club of Florida in Boynton Beach, Florida, has been awarded the Evans Scholarship – a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies – following a final selection meeting interview on March 5 at The Country Club of Florida.

Andrew Craig of Boynton Beach was selected as the first caddie from The Country Club of Florida ever to earn an Evans Scholarship. He is the recipient of an Endowed Named Scholarship that several club members established anonymously in honor of Carleton Blunt, founder of The Country Club of Florida and one of the early supporters of the Western Golf Association (WGA), which oversees the Evans Scholars Program.

The named scholarship is a financial contribution of $125,000 that allows donors an opportunity to sponsor a full college scholarship for an individual student.

The 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.

Andrew, a senior at St. John Paul II Academy in Boca Raton, will begin college this fall as an Evans Scholar at one of the Program’s 24 partner universities, where he hopes to study accounting. “Caddying has made me a dedicated, hardworking young man – qualities that I know will help me lead and grow in a college environment, where I can work towards a degree and a great future,” he says.

As the Evans Scholars Program continues to grow nationwide, more students from newer areas, including throughout Florida, are being introduced to the opportunity to caddie and potentially earn a full college scholarship. In 2022, The Country Club of Florida established a youth caddie program as part of the Evans Scholars’ Caddie Scholar Prep initiative.

The organization continues to expand these efforts in partnering with local private and municipal facilities such as The Park West Palm and others in development, as it gains support from foundations and donors to recruit, train and mentor deserving students in need to provide life-changing scholarship opportunities.

Though Florida is a newer area for youth caddying and Evans Scholars, the club has ties to the WGA that date back decades. Blunt, a close friend of Chick Evans, was an early advocate for the Evans Scholars Program and a major fundraising force for the first Scholarship House at Northwestern University. Blunt founded The Country Club of Florida, which opened in 1956 and quickly attracted a national membership. In 1958, it hosted the WGA’s prestigious Western Amateur championship and became the first club in Florida to host the WGA’s Western Junior championship in 2012.

“The establishment of the Carleton Blunt Scholarship is a very special effort that honors the legacy of one of WGA’s strongest advocates and his founding of The Country Club of Florida,” said WGA President and CEO John Kaczkowski. “In recent years, we have worked hard to build great momentum across the state of Florida with our youth caddie programs, and we have seen many success stories. We have Evans Scholars from outstanding clubs including Seminole Golf Club, Old Marsh Golf Club and The Bear’s Club, and we know Mr. Blunt would be just thrilled about our newest award from The Country Club of Florida.”   

With the 2023-24 selection meeting process complete, a record 340 caddies from across the country have been awarded the Evans Scholarship.

“We are thrilled to welcome Andrew to the Evans Scholars family,” said WGA Chairman Steve Colnitis. “His dedication in the classroom, on the golf course and in his community represents the best of 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.