Celebrating 125 years of leadership

In 1899, Chicago was a bustling city with a booming economy – and a growing love of golf.

As the game’s popularity exploded, a small group of golf enthusiasts met at the Grand Pacific Hotel in downtown Chicago on April 27, 1899. They were determined to lay the groundwork for an organization that could host golf tournaments and promote the sport in what was then considered the Western United States.

Eleven Chicago-area clubs signed the original charter, with 10 more from across the Midwest following close behind.

The Western Golf Association – one golf's most influential organizations – was born.

WGA Through the Years

In September 1899, the newly formed Western Golf Association conducts the inaugural Western Open and Western Amateur at the Glen View Club in Golf, Illinois.

Chicago's famed amateur golfer Chick Evans wins the 1910 Western Open and, in 1916, captures the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open titles. In the wake of his growing national fame, Evans envisions using his success to promote college scholarships for caddies.

WGA Directors award the first two Evans Scholarships to caddies Harold Fink and Jim McGinnis, who enrolled in Northwestern University as freshmen in the fall of 1930.

"Honor Caddie" movie starring Chick Evans, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby is commissioned by the WGA in 1949 to promote caddies and the Evans Scholarship nationwide.

The Evans Scholars Program expands rapidly in the 1950s, growing from one chapter to seven by the end of the decade.

Jack Nicklaus, who won the 1961 Western Amateur, wins back-to-back Western Open titles at The Beverly Country Club (1967) and Olympia Fields Country Club (1968).

The Western Amateur becomes a fixture at Point O' Woods as Andy North claims the 1971 title in the first of 38 consecutive Western Amateurs hosted by The Point. Champions in that span include Ben Crenshaw, Curtis Strange, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.

In 1985, Scott Verplank wins the Western Amateur and Western Open, becoming the first amateur since Chick Evans to win both titles. No other amateur has ever won the Western Open.

Tiger Woods, winner of the 1994 Western Amateur, excites Western Open fans three years later at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club by marching to his first of five victories in the storied championship.

In 2006, BMW and WGA announce a partnership with the PGA TOUR to create the BMW Championship — the penultimate event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs when the new FedExCup competition debuted in 2007.

WGA launches inaugural Caddie Academy site to provide work opportunities for underserved female students. Program grows to six sites nationwide by 2024.

WGA/ESF reaches a five-year goal of funding 1,000 Evans Scholarships annually, as 1,010 Scholars enroll at universities across the nation for the 2019 fall semester.

The WGA/ESF's Promise Campaign surpasses its goal, fueling further expansion of the Evans Scholars Program from coast to coast and development of new caddie training and career mentorship initiatives.

Championship Stories

From today’s PGA TOUR stars to the legends of the game, everyone has a Western Golf Association story. In this video series, players who competed for, and won, WGA championships across different eras share how those experiences shaped their futures.

Scottie Scheffler

2014 Western Amateur Sweet 16 qualifier
2019 NV5 Invitational champion
2022, 2024 Masters champion

"They were always some of the toughest tests. I felt like I learned a lot about my game."

Collin Morikawa

2013 Western Junior champion
2018 Western Amateur Sweet 16 qualifier
Two-time major champion

"It was probably my biggest win as a junior golfer."

Jordan Spieth

2011 Western Amateur Sweet 16 qualifier
Three-time major champion

"This is the ultimate amateur event."

Justin Thomas

2012 Western Amateur Sweet 16 qualifier
2019 BMW Championship winner
2017, 2022 PGA Championship winner

"The WGA means a lot to me."

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Jim Furyk Western Junior

Jim Furyk

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Justin Leonard Western Amateur

Justin Leonard

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Nick Hardy

Nick Hardy

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WGA at 125

In this collection of personal essays, leading voices from the world of golf journalism share how their lives — and careers — have intersected with one of the most impactful organizations in the game.

The Legend Begins

By Alan Shipnuck
Golf Writer, Bestselling Author

My first time covering the Western Open came in 1997. I was 24, enjoying my first full season on the golf beat for Sports Illustrated.

For that week in July, the Western Open once again felt like the center of the golf world. Tiger Woods was less than three months removed from his record-smashing, game-changing win at the Masters, and he electrified Cog Hill with a gritty Sunday comeback to earn his sixth PGA Tour victory. As Woods strolled up the 72nd fairway a couple thousand fans ducked under the ropes and followed him home.

I was part of this joyous, delirious, sweaty mob and it remains a favorite memory from all of my years shadowing Tiger.

Tiger Woods

A Piece of History

By Bob Harig
Sports Illustrated Golf Writer, Evans Scholars Alum (Ind. ’85)

If you grew up in the greater Chicago area in the 1970s and ’80s — and especially if you caddied like I did — there was nothing like the arrival of the Western Open.

And for years, the Western Open shared a unique distinction with only the Masters: it required players to use local caddies instead of those who had full-time jobs working for the pros.

At the risk of dating myself considerably … I was one of the fortunate ones who got to take part in that experience.

1980 Western Open caddies

A Chance for Change

By Beth Ann Nichols
Golfweek Senior Writer, Golf Channel Contributor

Joanna Hernandez remembers the family conversation like it was yesterday. Going away to a seven-week summer camp — even if it wasn’t too far from her southside Chicago home — was a big deal.

“Especially in my family and my culture,” said Hernandez, “you don’t leave home unless you’re married.”

But this wasn’t any summer camp. This was the inaugural Western Golf Association Caddie Academy, a seven-week program that came with the potential to earn a full tuition and housing college scholarship. This camp had the power to change the trajectory of her life.

WGA Caddie Academy in Ohio

The Way Forward

By Kevin Van Valkenburg
Editorial Director, No Laying Up

My patience, already worn down by a stream of complaints voiced during a long, humid afternoon, had run out. I was tired of arguing. I put down her purple golf bag, looked my 11-year-old daughter in the eye, and told her I was resigning as her caddie.

I could watch from behind the ropes, I’d decided, but I didn’t want to fight anymore about why her round wasn’t going well. I’d introduced the sport to her years ago because I thought it would be fun.

This was no longer fun.

Youth golf

The Caddie Connection

By Doug Ferguson
Associated Press Golf Writer, PGA Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award Winner

I didn't get a chance to cover my first Western Golf Association event until 2007, when the BMW Championship became part of the PGA Tour's postseason. It was clear to me immediately that it was one of the most important places to be all year — for players, yes, but also for caddies and for scribblers like me. When you've covered more than 600 PGA Tour events, you notice things you otherwise wouldn’t. And when an organization has 125 years behind it, well, they know what they're doing.

But it was only later that I began to realize connections long before I witnessed what the WGA was all about, and who it serves.

Scottie Scheffler and Evans Scholar