New Scholar will be second in recent history from Memphis CC
GLENVIEW, Ill. – A student caddie from Memphis Country Club in Memphis, Tennessee, has been awarded the Evans Scholarship — a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies — following a selection meeting interview on Dec. 13.
Grace Amgalan of Memphis will begin college this fall as an Evans Scholar. She’ll attend one of the Program’s 24 partner universities nationwide, with her awarded university to be finalized this spring. The Evans Scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 over four years.
To qualify for the Evans Scholarship, students must meet the Program’s four selection criteria and show a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character.
The Western Golf Association (WGA), headquartered in Glenview, Illinois, oversees the Evans Scholars Program, one of golf’s favorite charities and the nation’s largest scholarship program for caddies.
“Since our founding, our Program has changed the lives of caddies who have proven their dedication in the classroom, on the golf course and in their communities,” said WGA Chairman Steve Colnitis. “We are proud to welcome Grace to the Evans Scholars family.”
Currently, a record 1,190 caddies are enrolled at 24 universities across the country as Evans Scholars. More than 12,285 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the Program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. in 1930.
Amgalan, a senior at White Station High School, is the second youth caddie in recent history from Memphis Country Club to earn the Evans Scholarship – and the fourth overall from the state of Tennessee.
In late 2021, the club re-established its youth caddie program, thanks to the efforts of WGA Director Marshall Clark and head golf professional Drew Cain. Prior to that, a caddie from Memphis Country Club had been awarded the Evans Scholarship in the 1950s.
As the Evans Scholars Program continues to grow nationwide, more students from newer areas, including Memphis and Nashville, are being introduced to the opportunity to caddie and potentially earn a full college scholarship.
Amgalan, who plans to study economics, was born in Mongolia. “As I reflect back on my journey, from Mongolia to Memphis, I see that the challenges I encountered were strong tests that enhanced my abilities and desire to achieve,” she says. “I look forward to the golf bags I carried for over 120 loops being replaced by a backpack jammed with college coursework.”
After her brother’s cancer diagnosis, Amgalan’s family moved to Memphis for better medical treatment.
“Beyond her smarts and hard work, Grace has a resilient determination to care for her brother and secure her family’s future,” Clark says. “For Grace, higher education is essential. Our membership is committed to helping provide Grace, and hopefully many others to follow, such life-changing opportunities.”
Evans Scholar selection meeting interviews will continue nationwide through spring. When the 2024-25 selection meeting process is complete, an estimated 360 caddies from across the country are expected to be awarded the Evans Scholarship.
Evans Scholars have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 and a 98 percent graduation rate. An estimated 40 percent are first-generation college students, and 95 percent are employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduating.
Funds for the Evans Scholarship come mostly from contributions by more than 36,000 supporters across the country, who are members of 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 Evans Scholars Foundation. In 2025, the BMW Championship will be held at Caves Valley Golf Club near Baltimore, Maryland, from Aug. 12-17.