First student caddie from Charleston Municipal Golf Course earns full college scholarship

First Charleston Municipal caddie earns Evans Scholarship

GLENVIEW, Ill. – The first student caddie from Charleston Municipal Golf Course in Charleston, South Carolina, has been awarded the Evans Scholarship, a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies, following a selection meeting interview held at the golf course on Tuesday, March 3.

Cole Miller of Charleston, a senior at James Island Charter High School, will begin college this fall as an Evans Scholar at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. 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 demonstrate a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character.

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.

Miller caddied at Charleston Municipal for four summers. In college, he plans to study business and build on the lessons he learned through caddying.

“Caddying helped me grow from a shy kid into someone who is confident, hardworking and committed to my goals,” Cole Miller said. “The community and opportunities I found on the course inspired me to push myself in school and strive to be a role model for others in my family and community.”

Following a major course renovation in 2020 led by WGA Director and Charleston native Troy Miller, Charleston Municipal Golf Course launched a pilot youth caddie program in the summer of 2022. The program began with 12 local students caddying on weekends and has since grown to include more than 20 participants. The program has helped introduce young people in Charleston to the game of golf while providing opportunities to work, learn and build relationships with golfers in the community.

“One of our goals with the renovation was to make Charleston Municipal a place that creates opportunities for the community,” said Troy Miller, who helped implement the youth caddie program. “The program has already made a meaningful impact, and Cole earning the Evans Scholarship shows the kind of opportunities that can open up for young people through caddying.”

The ESF continues to expand its presence in the Southeast through its new partnership with the University of South Carolina. The university was announced as the Program’s 26th partner institution in 2024, and this past fall, leaders from the ESF and the university celebrated the inaugural class of Evans Scholars on campus and dedicated the McCausland Scholarship House, where the caddies live together in community.

Currently, a record 1,260 caddies are enrolled at 27 universities across the country as Evans Scholars, including 10 at the University of South Carolina. 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.

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.