Student caddie from Tucson Country Club earns Evans Scholarship

Sayd Hashemi will begin school as an Evans Scholar this fall

GLENVIEW, Ill. – A student caddie from Tucson Country Club in Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded the Evans Scholarship, a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies, following a selection meeting interview on Dec. 18.

Sayd Hashemi, of Tucson, Arizona, will begin college next fall as an Evans Scholar. He will enroll at one of the Evans Scholars Program’s 28 partner universities nationwide, which now includes Arizona State University, expanding opportunities for Arizona caddies to attend college on an Evans Scholarship. 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, students must meet the Program’s four selection criteria and demonstrate a strong caddie record, excellent academics, financial need and outstanding character.

Hashemi is a senior at Academy of Tucson High School and plans to study mechanical engineering in college. The son of parents who immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan, he credits their emphasis on education and perseverance with shaping his academic focus and determination to succeed.

“My parents came to the United States from Afghanistan in search of opportunity, and they taught me that education and perseverance open doors,” Hashemi says. “Caddying reinforced those values and helped prepare me for the challenges of college and a future in engineering.”

As the Evans Scholars Program continues to grow nationwide, more students from areas including Tucson and Phoenix are being introduced to the opportunity to caddie and potentially earn a full college scholarship. Hashemi is the second student from Tucson Country Club to earn the Evans Scholarship in recent years, reflecting the continued growth of youth caddying opportunities in Arizona.

Nine other caddies from Tucson Country Club have been awarded Evans Scholarships back in the 1970s and 1980s. Several years ago, the club re-established its youth caddie efforts, with the first caddie to receive the Evans Scholarship last year, and more applicants expected in the coming years.

“We’re excited to see the continued momentum around youth caddying in Southern Arizona,” said Steven Pearl, a WGA Director and former president of Tucson Country Club. “Sayd’s achievement reflects the progress being made in this area, and we hope it encourages more clubs and young people to see caddying as a pathway to college opportunities.”

Currently, a record 1,260 caddies are enrolled at 27 universities across the country as Evans Scholars. More than 12,575 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 will continue nationwide through spring. By the end of the 2025-26 selection process, an estimated 380 caddies from across the country are expected to receive 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 96 percent are employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduating.

Arizona State University recently became the Evans Scholars Program’s 28th partner university, expanding opportunities for Arizona caddies to attend college on a full Evans Scholarship beginning in fall 2026.

Funds for the Evans Scholarship come mostly from contributions by more than 43,500 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 2026, the BMW Championship will be held at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri, from Aug. 18-23.