The Western Golf Association-sponsored Evans Scholars Foundation has branched into Canada, specifically to the Victoria Golf Club.
VGC is the first club in Canada to join a program that has, since 1930, resulted in more than 8,500 deserving young caddies earning their college degrees.
The Evans Scholars Foundation was founded by golf great Charles (Chick) Evans, who won 54 tournaments over a competitive career that spanned four decades. In 1916, he won both the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Open and, when he decided to retain his amateur status, he used his golf earnings to establish the Charles Evans Jr. Trust in 1928 to assist golf caddies.
The Foundation administers the largest privately funded college scholarship program in the United States, providing full tuition and housing grants to deserving caddies. This year, 820 Evans Scholars are enrolled at 19 universities across the United States.
And now, with VGC part of the program, caddies in Victoria can qualify for Evans Scholarships. And they won’t have to attend U.S. colleges, because the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia have come on board as participants.
To qualify, students are required to meet certain standards. To which:
They must register with VGC before they enter their Grade 11 year in high school.
They must place in the top 25 per cent of their class.
They must caddy 25 times each year over two years (minimum 50 in two years).
They must have a proven financial need.
They must have exceptional character.
If they qualify, they will receive full tuition, books and housing at either UVic or UBC for up to four years.