Nine Minnesota Caddies Earn Evans Scholarship

Minnesota

When asked by the selection committee what the Evans Scholarship would mean to him, Jack Sand, a caddie-scholar from Interlachen Country Club, responded, “The Evans Scholarship would save my family from a huge financial burden. I hope to be in the same seats as you one day and give back to a great program like all of you.” 

Another prospective caddie-scholar, Cory Stewart, of Hazeltine National Golf Club, said of his volunteer experience, “It’s not hard to help people. Twenty hours a year doesn’t seem like a lot to you, but it can make a huge difference in somebody’s life.”

And, finally, Kaito Kedrowski, a caddie-scholar from White Bear Yacht Club, said about the day in Japanese, “Today is a very important day in my life.” Kedrowski is fluent in Japanese, learning the language from a young age.

With some of the selection committee attending the meeting virtually, the online video platform allowed everyone to meet the highly accomplished young men and one woman, who were selected based on their high school academic record, leadership activities, caddie record and their family’s financial need. The scholarship applicants received news of their Evans Scholarship selection in mid-February, joining one of the largest caddie scholarship programs in the country. More than two dozen similar selection meetings were held recently, awarding 315 scholarships to 22 colleges and universities in the fall. There are currently a record 1,110 caddies enrolled as Evans Scholars across the nation and over 11,000 alumni—with more than 700 from Minnesota.

As a young adult, Chick Evans was forced to drop out of school due to financial reasons. After winning the 1916 U.S. Open at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, Evans turned down his 
golf prize money and other related revenue to start the Evans Scholarship Program for young caddies. The first Evans Scholars attended Northwestern University in 1930. Twenty years later, the first Evans Scholar attended the University of Minnesota.

In 2030, the WGA will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the program, and they have established ambitious goals for the centennial, including increasing the number of scholars from 1,000 to 1,500, making the organization more diverse, and doubling the number of youth caddies. The Minnesota WGA volunteer directors, working in concert with local club staff, club leaders, community leaders and the team at the MGA, are creating plans to strengthen local caddie programs to support those goals. 

Jack Mendesh is the MGA’s caddie development manager, and can be reached at 
caddie@mngolf.org.