There are 27 male and female caddies that have qualified for the Chick Evans Scholarship — 26 are from Ohio and one is from Kentucky.
The lone Kentuckian recipient was Park Hills native Martine Hue. Hue is currently a senior at Notre Dame Academy and is a caddy for Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati. She is currently undecided on where she wants to go for college.
“Martine is a great student,” said Brian Shell, Program Director of the Evans Scholarship Foundation. “She was an honor student with a great caddy record. You could tell she had the work ethic. The way she interacts with professionals and adults is great. You can really see that she has the desire to get better. She didn’t have a lot of golf knowledge at the beginning, but she saw the opportunity and ran with it. She stuck with it. She has great character, integrity and leadership skills. She’s going to be a fantastic Evans Scholar.”
The Chick Evans Scholarship is a full, four-year tuition and housing college scholarship. The program seeks out students who show academic strength, financial need and outstanding character.
Each caddie has a unique story that reflects the scholarship’s four selection criteria: a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character. They will begin college in the fall of 2022 as Evans Scholars, with most attending The Ohio State University or Miami University in Oxford.
“These young men and women are part of an exceptional incoming class of New Scholars from around the nation,” WGA Chairman Joe Desch said. “They represent what the Evans Scholars Program has been about since 1930.”
The Evans Scholars selection interviews are being held with applicants nationwide through the spring. When the 2021-22 selection meeting process is complete, an estimated 315 caddies from across the country are expected to be awarded the Evans Scholarship.
A day in the life of a caddie often starts between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. Caddies wait to get assigned to a caddying job, called “a loop,” with a golfer. Once the connection is made, the caddie helps get the golfer’s gear ready for the round.
When the round commences, the caddie has a number of responsibilities, including carrying the golfer’s clubs, watching the ball, keeping the clubs clean, knowing distances from the ball to the pin, raking the bunkers, attending the pins, cleaning the ball once the green is reached and generally assisting the entire foursome when moving around the golf course.
“I started caddying 2 summers ago,” Hue said. “It is kind of a funny story about how I became aware of caddying. I was scrolling on TikTok one day and saw a post about how caddying can be a great summer job. I didn’t even know someone at my age could caddie for a summer job so this got me excited to try something new. My Mom works at Kenwood Country Club and I asked her if they hire caddies and from there I got in touch with the Caddie Master at Kenwood and went from there.”
There are currently 1,070 Evans Scholars attending 21 universities across the country. There are 11,556 alumni. The Evans Scholars have a positive 95 percent graduation rate and a cumulative GPA of 3.4. The total value of the scholarship is $120,000 over four years. Throughout its history, the Evans Scholarship Foundation has provided scholarships for more than $435,000 million in tuition and housing expenses. The program was founded by Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr.
“These young students have each shown excellence in the classroom, in their communities and on the golf course,” WGA President and CEO John Kaczkowski said. “We are proud to welcome them to the Evans Scholars family.”
The scholarship funds come mostly from contributions by nearly 35,000 supporters across the country, who are members of the Evans Scholars Par Club program. Evans Scholars Alumni donate more than $17 million annually, and all proceeds from the BMW Championship are donated to the Evans Scholars Foundation.
“Earning this scholarship means a lot to me,” Hue said. “I think going into caddying with no prior knowledge on golf and then being able to work my way up to a higher level through successes and failures along the way has taught me a lot about myself. This scholarship has helped me realize that no ambition is too ‘out there.’ I am incredibly grateful for the relationships this scholarship has helped me build and the fact that each and every person I met caddying supported me on the road to earning this scholarship is very meaningful to me and something I will forever be grateful for.”
Hue plans to commit to a pre-med track in college. Her future career goal is to become a plastic surgeon. She does not plan on going professional but will continue caddying this summer at the Kenwood Country Club.