What is the Evans Scholarship?

Charles "Chick" Evans Jr. asked the Western Golf Association to administer the fund he had established to send deserving caddies to college in 1929.

The Evans Scholarship provides scholarships to those with limited access to college education.

Charles Evans Jr.'s dream lives on in Oregon in 2025.

The Evans Scholarship Program provides academic, professional, and social resources that help students maintain a cumulative 3.3 GPA and 98 percent graduation rate.

There are a record 1,260 Evans Scholars enrolled in 27 leading universities for the 2025-26 academic year, and 12,575 young men and women have graduated as Evans Scholars since 1930.

Evans Scholars are caddies who have earned a full, four-year tuition and housing grant based on their strong caddie record, excellent academics, financial need, and outstanding character. More than 12,500 caddies have graduated since the program began.

The University of Oregon Scholarship House

The Evans Scholars Foundation selected the University of Oregon as the site for a Scholarship House in 2016, the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

The University of Oregon Scholarship House was established in 2016, has 36 Scholars currently in school, and 272 Alumni.

The University of Oregon has been an Evans Scholars site since David Gault became the first Evans Scholar at the UO in the class of 1960.

The Evans Scholars Program is funded by contributions from WGA Evans Scholars Par Club members nationwide, including Evans Scholars Alumni, as well as proceeds from the PGA Tour BMW Championship.

Lilly Varner of Gold Beach, Oregon, Wins 2025 Evans Scholar of the Year Award

The ESF awards full housing and tuition college scholarships to golf caddies with limited financial means. Out of 1,260 current Evans Scholars nationwide, Lilly Varner of Gold Beach, Oregon, was one of two recognized as Evans Scholars of the Year this year for her leadership and academic excellence.

Varner worked as a caddie at Rose City Golf Course as a participant in the EAGLE Caddie Program to earn the Western Golf Association’s (WGA) Evans Scholarship, worth $125,000 over four years. Being an Evans Scholar provided great financial relief for Varner, and has given her something she values most — a home.

“This scholarship has completely changed my life and given me something I value most – a home. Being an Evans Scholar means being part of a community that not only supports me but also challenges me to grow. This award serves not as a finish line but as motivation to keep growing and giving back.” Varner said.

In 2025, Varner graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in political science and earned a 4.0 GPA. She is pursuing a law degree and serving as a Graduate Resident Advisor at the Oregon Evans Scholars chapter.

In 2025, Six Students From Oregon earned full college scholarships for caddying

Six students from the state of Oregon have been awarded the Evans Scholarship following selection meeting interviews held at Eastmoreland Golf Course in Portland, Ore., on Feb. 18.

As the Evans Scholars Program continues to grow nationwide, more students from newer areas, including the Pacific Northwest, are being introduced to the opportunity to caddie and earn a full college scholarship.

In recent years, for example, club leaders at Gearheart Golf Links in Gearheart have revitalized their youth caddie program, helping to create summer job opportunities for local youth.

Madden Wunderlich, of Seaside, and Calvin Olson, of Warrenton, are the second and third caddies from the program to be awarded the Evans Scholarship.

Olson, a senior at Warrenton High School, will be the first in his family to attend college, where he intends to study sports management. With encouragement from his uncle, he continued caddying in pursuit of the Evans Scholarship.

“I consider my uncle my mentor, and he helped me realize the benefit of a college education,” Olson said. “I stuck with caddying to put my family's path in a better direction and to be a role model to my sister.”

“We are so proud of the academic, caddie and leadership achievements of these outstanding students,” said WGA Director and Oregon State Chair Dan Harmon. “We remain dedicated to growing youth caddie opportunities throughout Oregon to help more promising young people in their pursuit of a high-quality education.”

Other scholarship recipients include Natalie Herrejon-Balderas of Portland, Julie Liu of Portland, who both caddied at Eastmoreland Golf Course. Humberto Sanchez of Portland caddied at Royal Oaks Country Club (WA), while Zyhara West of Portland caddied at Heron Lakes Golf Club.

Most are expected to attend the University of Oregon in Eugene.