Full college scholarships awarded to two St. Louis caddies

Finalists interviewed at Greenbriar Hills Country Club in Kirkwood, Missouri

GLENVIEW, IL – Two students from St. Louis have been awarded the Evans Scholarship, a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies, following a final selection interview held at Greenbriar Hills Country Club in Kirkwood, Missouri, on Feb. 6.

Both caddies have a unique story, which reflects the scholarship’s four selection criteria: a strong caddie record; excellent academics; demonstrated financial need; and outstanding character.

They will begin college in the fall of 2020 as Evans Scholars at the University of Missouri in Columbia. The Evans Scholarship is valued at an estimated $120,000 over four years.

James Keating caddied at Sunset Country Club and is a senior at Lindbergh Senior High School. “Sunset (and caddying) opened a world of new opportunities for me – creating strong and genuine friendships, learning the game of golf from some of the best and helping my family out with the cash I earned,” he said. “It is mind-blowing to receive the Chick Evans Scholarship.”

Joseph Stoehner caddied at Westwood Country Club and is a senior at Chaminade College Prep School. “I cannot stress enough how much of my success I owe to the wise men and women I met through my years of caddying,” he said. “These mentors have instilled me in the qualities of responsibility, respectfulness and most of all, commitment.”

“Both of these deserving Evans Scholars epitomizes what our Program has been about since its creation in 1930,” said WGA Chairman Kevin Buggy. “Their dedication, hard work and sacrifice is humbling, and we are honored to be able to help them pursue their dreams.”

The selection meeting in St. Louis was one of more than 20 such meetings the Evans Scholars Foundation will hold across the country through the spring. When the 2019-20 selection meeting process is completed by April, an estimated 285 caddies are expected to be awarded the Evans Scholarship.

The Western Golf Association, headquartered in Glenview, Illinois, has supported the Chick Evans Scholarship Program through the Evans Scholars Foundation since 1930. One of golf’s favorite charities, it is the nation’s largest scholarship program for caddies.

Currently, a record 1,010 caddies are enrolled in 18 universities across the nation as Evans Scholars, and more than 11,050 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr.

“These young students have shown excellence in the classroom and in their communities, as well as on the golf course,” said John Kaczkowski, WGA President and CEO. “We welcome them to the Evans Scholars family.”

Scholarship funds come mostly from contributions by 32,500 golfers across the country, who are members of the Evans Scholars Par Club program. Evans Scholars Alumni donate more than $14 million annually, and all proceeds from the BMW Championship, the third of four PGA TOUR Playoff events in the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup competition, are donated to the Evans Scholars Foundation.