Seven-Club Fundraiser Celebrates 30th Anniversary

When Chick Evans won the 1916 U.S. Amateur at the Merion Cricket Club and the 1916 U.S. Open at the Minikahda Club, he only carried seven clubs in his bag—during a time when players would carry up to 20 clubs. In 1930, Evans partnered with the Western Golf Association (WGA) and used his $200 winnings from his U.S. Open victory to start the Evans Scholar Foundation (ESF), a full tuition and housing scholarship for caddies. In its first year, the ESF funded its first two Evans Scholars at Northwestern University. The Evans Scholarship was established in Minnesota 20 years later when Jim Lange, host of the “The Dating Game,” was the first recipient of the scholarship, attending the University
of Minnesota.

In 1993, in response to a lack of a true Evans Scholars fundraiser in Minnesota, Evans Scholar alum, Minnesota Golf Association President and WGA Director Roger Gordon
created the Chick Evans Memorial Seven-Club Fundraiser. While Gordon passed away in 2000, the event has continued in his honor.

“The real success story is due to those that picked up after Roger died in 2000. Not only did they get the new [Evans Scholarship] house built, but they continued and improved the tournament, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. Roger would be smiling,” says Trudy Halla, Gordon's widow.

The purpose of the event was to honor Chick Evans by playing with seven clubs, wear time-period clothing from when he won the U.S. Open in 1916 and raise money for the Minnesota ESF. Since its inception, the event has raised over $1 million dollars for the Minnesota Evans Scholars.

This year marked the 30th edition of the event which was played June 26 at Windsong Farm. There are not many golf fundraising events that last 30 years, but the Seven-Club has stood the test of time. That can largely be attributed to Cheryl Schneider, a longtime WGA Director, and Anne Mullen, MGA meeting and event manager, being the “face” of the event for the last 20 years.

Schneider describes the event in her own words: “It is a very fun event to be a part of. We have so many repeat groups from year to year. Close to 90 percent of our groups play every year. They are not there to win a golf tournament; they are there to support the Evans Scholars.”