New Evans Scholars will begin school this fall

GLENVIEW, Ill. – Two students from Baltimore have been awarded the Evans Scholarship — a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies — following a selection meeting interview held Feb. 5 at Baltimore Country Club in Baltimore, Md.

Kevin Flowers and Will Mitchell, both of Baltimore, caddied at Baltimore Country Club. This fall, they will begin college as Evans Scholars, with their awarded universities to be announced this spring. The Evans Scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 over four years.

To qualify, 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, Ill., oversees the Evans Scholars Program. Recently recognized as the Scholarship Provider of the Year by the National Scholarship Providers Association, the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF) is 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 young caddies who have proven their dedication in the classroom, on the golf course and in their communities,” said WGA Chairman Steve Colnitis, who is a member at Baltimore Country Club. “We are proud to welcome Kevin and Will to the Evans Scholars family.”

Flowers, who plans to study kinesiology, is a senior at Loyola Blakefield in Towson. He will be the first in his family to attend college. “Growing up in a single-parent household shaped my views on education,” he said. “I was taught that hard work and a good education are the keys to achieving your dreams – values that have made me a better student, caddie and athlete.”

Mitchell, who intends to study business, is a senior at Friends School of Baltimore. “Throughout my experience caddying, I have had the privilege of connecting with golfers who have inspired my future career interests,” he said. “Since playing Monopoly as a kid, I have been interested in understanding the ins and outs of our economy, and caddying has allowed me to speak to members who have firsthand experience in the field.”

Currently, a record 1,190 caddies are enrolled at 24 universities across the country as Evans Scholars – including 14 at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. 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.

“We are so proud of the academic, caddie and leadership achievements that led Kevin and Will to earn this life-changing gift,” said Joe Fields, a WGA Director and East Coast Co-Chair, as well as a member at Baltimore Country Club. “We look forward to seeing all they will accomplish as Evans Scholars. We hope they will inspire more young people from Maryland to seek out the best summer job opportunity – caddying.”

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 ESF.

This year, the BMW Championship will return to Caves Valley Golf Club near Baltimore, Md., held Aug. 12-17. The 2021 BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club raised more than $5.6 million for caddie scholarships, helping pave the way to send Evans Scholars to the University of Maryland.

This spring, the ESF will celebrate the graduation of the first class of Evans Scholars from the university. During this year’s championship week, the organization will open a Scholarship House on campus where Maryland Evans Scholars can live in community as they pursue their degrees.

Since 2007, the BMW Championship has contributed more than $60 million to the ESF, helping award full tuition and housing college scholarships to more than 3,600 caddies during that time.

Evans Scholar selection meeting interviews will continue nationwide through the winter. 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.