Two Atlanta-area student caddies awarded full college scholarships

Seyoum Gebrehiwot and Namuhaha Mapenzi will begin school as Evans Scholars this fall

GLENVIEW, Ill. – Two students from the Atlanta area have been awarded the Evans Scholarship, a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies, following selection meeting interviews held on Jan. 27.

Seyoum Gebrehiwot, of Atlanta, and Namuhaha Mapenzi, of Decatur, will begin college next fall as Evans Scholars. Both current seniors at Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, they will enroll at one of the Evans Scholars Program’s 28 partner universities nationwide this fall, 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.

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

With chapters in Chicago, Columbus, Minneapolis, Seattle and Washington, D.C., the Caddie Academy includes work opportunities, test preparation, field trips and guest speakers. Since 2015, more than 210 Caddie Academy graduates have earned the Evans Scholarship.

Both winners caddied at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield, Illinois, as part of the program’s Chicago chapter.

“The WGA Caddie Academy is designed to prepare motivated young people for success both on the golf course and in the classroom,” said WGA Chairman Andy Langan. “Seyoum and Namuhaha have been outstanding representatives of our club, and we are incredibly proud to see them reach this milestone.”

“When I came to the United States, I promised myself that I would make every opportunity count,” Mapenzi said. “The WGA Caddie Academy helped me turn that promise into something real.”

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 the spring. When the 2025-26 selection 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.