Five Los Angeles-area students earn full college scholarships for caddying

WGA Caddie Academy recipients will begin school as Evans Scholars this fall

GLENVIEW, Ill. – Five students from the Los Angeles area have been awarded the Evans Scholarship — a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies — following a selection meeting interview held Feb. 12 at Ironwood Country Club in Palm Desert, Calif.

Amaia Diaz, Marely Gomez, Joel Arriaga Lopez, Sara Mejia and Cesar Sierra, all high school students from the Los Angeles area, will begin college this fall as Evans Scholars. They will enroll at one of the Evans Scholars Program’s partner universities, with final school placements to be determined this spring. 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, demonstrating a strong caddie record, outstanding academics, financial need and exceptional character.

All five recipients are graduates of the WGA Caddie Academy, a summer work program that provides caddie opportunities and college preparation for high-achieving high school students.

“These students represent exactly what the WGA Caddie Academy strives to achieve – preparing driven young people for success both on the golf course and in the classroom,” said Andrew Langan, WGA Chairman. “Their accomplishments are a testament to the impact of opportunity, mentorship and hard work.”

With chapters in Chicago, Columbus, Minneapolis, Seattle and Washington, D.C., the Caddie Academy features work opportunities, test preparation, field trips and guest speakers. For seven weeks each summer for three years, participants live and work together before becoming eligible to apply for the Evans Scholarship during their senior year of high school. Since 2015, more than 210 Caddie Academy graduates have gone on to earn the Evans Scholarship.

The Los Angeles participants took part in the Chicago chapter. Diaz and Gomez, seniors at Saint Mary’s Academy in Inglewood, Calif., caddied at Indian Hill Club in Winnetka, Ill. Arriaga Lopez and Mejia are both seniors at Compton Early College High School in Compton, Calif.; Arriaga Lopez caddied at Old Elm Club in Highland Park, Ill, while Mejia caddied at Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, Ill. Sierra, a senior at Bishop Mora Salesian in Los Angeles, caddied at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Ill.

“Caddying taught me discipline, patience and responsibility,” Sierra said. “The Caddie Academy became a gateway to earning the Evans Scholarship — a true stepping-stone toward greater heights. The values I’ve developed through my experiences, curiosity and resilience are the same ones I’ll bring to the Evans Scholarship community.”

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.

Evans Scholar selection meeting interviews will continue nationwide through spring. When the 2025-26 selection meeting process is complete, an estimated 380 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 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.