Congratulations to Badger High School Senior Eliana White, who has been awarded the Chick Evans Scholarship for Caddies. The Chick Evans Scholarship for Caddies is a full tuition and housing, four-year college scholarship for golf caddies.
Elianna is among sixteen students from the state of Wisconsin and five Walworth County students who have been awarded the Evans Scholarship following a final selection meeting interview held at Ozaukee Country Club in Mequon, Wisconsin, on December 12, 2023.
“Badger High School is extremely proud of Eliana White for receiving the Chick Evans Scholarship for Caddies! Eliana is an exceptional young woman. She excelled academically at Badger High School. She is a very kind, polite, and conscientious person,” said Jennifer Straus, Badger High School Principal.
For more than 90 years, the Western Golf Association has overseen the Evans Scholars Program, which is among the nation’s largest privately funded scholarship programs. It is named in honor of legendary amateur golfer Chick Evans, whose charitable legacy was to help send deserving caddies to college.
Recipients of this prestigious scholarship are nominated by the sponsoring country club where they caddied. Applicants are evaluated and selected based on four criteria: strong caddie record, excellent academics, financial need, and outstanding character.
Eliana, who wants to major in Economics, was nominated by Big Foot Country Club, where she caddied.
Since 1930, more than 12,000 young men and women have been awarded Evans Scholarships to some of the nation’s top universities. On campus, Evans Scholars live together in a Scholarship House owned by the Foundation. This fall, more than 320 new Evans Scholars will begin their college education.
“We are thrilled to welcome these student caddies to what will be an exceptional class of new Scholars from across the nation,” said Western Golf Association (WGA) Chairman Joe Desch. “Their dedication in the classroom, on the golf course, and in their communities represents what our Program has been about since 1930.”
The 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.
Currently, a record 1,130 caddies are enrolled at 24 universities across the nation as Evans Scholars, and more than 12,040 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the Program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr.
Scholarship funds come mostly from contributions by more than 36,000 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, are donated to the Evans Scholars Foundation. In 2024, the BMW Championship will be held at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado from Aug. 20-25.