First group of caddies from University of Maryland Golf Course earn Evans Scholarships

New Scholars will begin school this fall

GLENVIEW, IL – Five student caddies from the University of Maryland Golf Course in College Park, Maryland, have been awarded the Evans Scholarship – a full housing and tuition college scholarship offered to golf caddies – following a final selection meeting interview held at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, on Feb. 7.

The group, who are all from the D.C. area, will begin college this fall as Evans Scholars, attending one of the Program’s 24 partner universities nationwide, including the University of Maryland in College Park. All decisions on awarded schools will be finalized by March 15. The Evans Scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 over four years. The full group of winners is listed below.

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, each student must meet the Program’s four selection criteria and show a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character.

Currently, a record 1,130 caddies are enrolled at 24 universities nationwide as Evans Scholars, including nine at the University of Maryland. More than 12,040 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the Program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. in 1930.

As the Evans Scholars Program continues to grow nationwide, more students from newer areas in the East, including in and around Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, are being introduced to the opportunity to caddie and potentially earn a full college scholarship.

Three years ago, the WGA first launched a youth caddie program at the University of Maryland Golf Course, as part of its Caddie Scholar Prep initiative aiming to introduce qualified students to caddying and the opportunities it provides, including earning money and college scholarships. The program is funded by the WGA and covers the cost of caddies for golfers. This is the first group of awarded Evans Scholar caddies to come from that effort.

“What was amazing to me was this first group coming out three years ago, not knowing anything about golf and clueless as to what they were going to experience,” said Jeff Maynor, director of golf at UMD Golf Course. “They’d never been to a course before, they were nervous, and I’m sure they thought, ‘No one here is like me.’ To see where they are today – comfortable walking up to golfers and chatting with anyone, it’s been a total transformation. It has pushed them out of their shell and taught them that it’s OK to try something new. They were our first group of pioneers, and they will make it easier for all the caddies who follow in their footsteps. I truly admire the courage it took for them to do this – and the ultimate reward was earning a life-changing scholarship to college.”

One of the caddies, Antoinette Davis, of Clinton, Maryland, was raised by a single mother who worked tirelessly to ensure her children, including a son with disabilities, had the best possible education. “As he grew older and needed surgeries, I would help take care of him while my mother worked to support us,” she said. “I felt blessed to be able to help and support my family in any way. The sense of community that my family has created for me has taught me that I would like to be a sense of support for many people.”

She found a similar sense of community in the caddie program. “As I think about who I want to become, I focus on the many success people around me, like my mother, my teachers, the golfers I have met caddying and other influential people in my life who have been models of the qualities I want to possess as I grow older,” she said.

Selection meeting interviews for Evans Scholar finalists will continue nationwide through spring. When the 2023-24 selection meeting process is complete, an estimated 340 caddies from across the country are expected to be awarded the Evans Scholarship.

“We are thrilled to welcome this new class of UMD Golf Course caddies to the Evans Scholars family,” said WGA Chairman Steve Colnitis. “Their dedication in the classroom, on the golf course and in their communities represent what our Program has been about since 1930.”

In 2021, the Evans Scholars Program began sending student caddies to the University of Maryland, as part of its ongoing expansion plan in the East. The ESF has also purchased a building near campus, which will serve as the future home of the Caves Valley Evans Scholars Scholarship House.

Funds for the Scholarship come mostly from contributions by more than 38,500 supporters across the country, who belong to 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 Program. This year, the BMW Championship will be held Aug. 20-25 at Castle Pines Golf Club in the Denver area. The BMW Championship was held at Caves Valley Golf Club outside Baltimore in 2021 and will return there in 2025.  

Below is a complete list of winners who will begin college this fall as Evans Scholars.