By Fred Altvater
January is a very important month for former caddies at golf clubs around Indiana. Every year, the Evans Scholarship Foundation awards full housing and tuition college grants to deserving young men and women, who caddied at golf clubs that support the Evans Scholars Foundation.
Each caddie must undergo a stringent application process, including an oral interview before a selection committee. These interviews are normally held in person, but due to COVID they have been held virtually for the past two years.
Every caddie has a unique story that reflects the scholarship’s four selection criteria: 
-strong caddie record
-excellent academics
-financial need
-outstanding character
These exceptional students will enter college in the fall of 2022, with all but one attending either Indiana, or Purdue University. Caitlyn Novak from Peotone, Illinois has been accepted and chosen to attend the University of Illinois, the original home for the Evans Scholarship. The scholarship is valued at more than $120,000 over the four years of college and it’s life-changing for many of these worthy caddies.
“These young men and women are part of an exceptional incoming class of new scholars from around the nation,” said WGA Chairman Joe Desch. “They represent what the Evans Scholars Program has been about since 1930.”
The following is a list of the recipient, city, golf club where they caddied, their high school and the university they plan to attend:
| Name | City | Club | High School | University |
| Simbarashe Hlupo | Avon | Hillcrest CC | Avon HS | Indiana |
| Anne Conway | Carmel | Crooked Stick Golf Club | Carmel HS | Purdue |
| Michael Lupke | Fishers | Prairie View Golf Club | Cathedral HS | Indiana |
| Carter Craig | Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne CC | Northside HS | Purdue |
| Kasey Craig | Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne CC | North Side HS | Indiana |
| Miranda Freeman | Fort Wayne | Orchard Ridge CC | Leo HS | Purdue |
| Evan Niemeyer | Fort Wayne | Orchard Ridge CC | Heritage Jr/Sr HS | Indiana |
| Jason Reust | Fort Wayne | Orchard Ridge CC | Homestead HS | Purdue |
| Deanna Aguilar-Hernandez | Indianapolis | Prairie View Golf Club | Riverside HS | Purdue |
| John Barfield | Indianapolis | Hillcrest CC | Colonial Christian | Purdue |
| Tabitha Njoroge | Indianapolis | Hillcrest CC | Pike HS | Indiana |
| Lizzet Ochoa | Indianapolis | Prairie View Golf Club | Ben Davis HS | Purdue |
| Lilliana Rondinella | Indianapolis | Hillcrest CC | Lawrence North HS | Indiana |
| Maria Wadle | La Porte | Long Beach CC | Marquette Catholic | Purdue |
| Seth Palmer | Michigan City | Long Beach CC | Michigan City HS | Purdue |
| Marcus McGuire | Paoli | French Lick Resort | Paoli Jr Sr HS | Indiana |
| Caitlyn Novak | Peotone (IL) | Briar Ridge CC | Bishop McNamara | University of Illinois |
An estimated 315 caddies nationwide will receive the Evans Scholarship for 2022. Currently 1,070 former caddies are enrolled at 21 universities and more than 11,500 have successfully graduated via the Evans Scholars program founded by Charles “Chick” Evans Jr, who won the U.S. Open as an amateur in 1916.
“These young students have each shown excellence in the classroom, in their communities and on the golf course,” said WGA President and CEO John Kaczkowski. “We are proud to welcome them to the Evans Scholars family.”
Scholarship funds come mostly from the gernerous contributions from nearly 35,000 supporters, plus Evans Scholars Alumni donate more than $17 million annually. In addition, all proceeds from the BMW Championship are donated to the Evans Scholars Foundation.
To learn more about the Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation, visit: www.wgaesf.org.
