Full college scholarships awarded to nine Missouri caddies

Caddies will begin school as Evans Scholars this fall

GLENVIEW, Ill. – Nine caddies from the state of Missouri have been awarded the Evans Scholarship — a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies — following selection meeting interviews at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis on Jan. 22.

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.

They will begin college in the fall of 2026 as Evans Scholars, with most to attend the University of Missouri in Columbia or the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Their awarded universities will be finalized this spring. The Evans Scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 over four years. Recipients are listed below.

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.

Currently, a record 1,260 caddies are enrolled at 27 universities across the country as Evans Scholars, including 42 at the University of Missouri and 50 at the University of Kansas. 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.

“These students have shown remarkable dedication to their clubs, their academics and their communities,” said Steve Wendling, a WGA Director and the state chair of Missouri and Kansas. “They embody the values of the Evans Scholars Program, and we are proud to support them as they take this next step.”

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.

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.

Below is a full list of recent winners with awarded universities to be finalized by spring.