Seven students from NYC metro area awarded full college scholarships for caddying

Students will begin school as Evans Scholars this fall

GLENVIEW, Ill. – Seven student caddies from the New York City metro area have been awarded the Evans Scholarship, a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies, following selection meeting interviews held at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, New York, on Feb. 2.

The students will begin college in fall 2026 as Evans Scholars, with most expected to attend Rutgers University, the University of Delaware or the University of Maryland. Final university placements will be determined this spring. The Evans Scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 over four years.

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.

“These seven students have earned this opportunity through years of discipline and personal growth,” said Joe Fields, a WGA Director and co-chair of the East region. “Caddying teaches accountability, communication and perseverance, qualities that prepare young people not just for college but for life. We are proud to see these young adults take this next step.”

The Western Golf Association (WGA), headquartered in Glenview Illinois, has supported the Chick Evans Scholarship Program through the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF) 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 nationwide as Evans Scholars, including more than 150 students from the East region. More than 12,575 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the Program was founded in 1930 by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr.

Leyton Mangiamele, from Wading River, caddied at Friar’s Head. After a challenging childhood, caddying changed his life. “For me, caddying has been more than a job. It has been a place where I found confidence, purpose and people who believed in my potential,” said Mangiamele. “The Evans Scholarship represents opportunity and a future I have worked hard to build. I am incredibly grateful for the support that has helped me reach this moment.”

As the Evans Scholars Program continues to grow nationwide, more students from the East region, including throughout New York, are being offered an opportunity to caddie and potentially earn a full college scholarship. Through the WGA’s Caddie Scholar Prep initiative, program leaders are intentionally recruiting and mentoring qualified students across the state and introducing them to caddying at local clubs. 

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.

Listed below are the newly awarded New York metro-area Evans Scholars.