News release from the Hotel Fitness Championship:
WGA’s Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship program has rich ties to Fort Wayne
Nation’s premier college scholarship program providing full housing and tuition to Hoosier caddies attending Indiana University, Purdue University and University of Notre Dame
(August 28, 2013) – As golf fans prepare to descend on the Hotel Fitness Championship at Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Aug. 29-Sept. 1, among their numbers are young men and women enrolled in one of the nation’s premier college scholarship programs, the Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship program.
Fifteen current Scholars are from Fort Wayne, and more than 50 Evans Scholars Alumni live in the area. Sycamore Hills Golf Club, Orchard Ridge Country Club and Fort Wayne Country Club in Fort Wayne are all strong supporters of the Evans Scholars Program.
The Evans Scholars Program also has a rich history throughout the Hoosier state, with two Evans Scholars chapters. Currently, 100 Evans Scholars call either Indiana University or Purdue University home, and there are nearly 1,000 Evans Alumni from the two schools.
More than 9,800 men and women have graduated as Evans Scholars (there are 840 current scholars), with most of them attending one of 14 universities across the country where the Evans Scholars Foundation owns and operates a Scholarship House. Today, more than 100,000 golfers nationwide support the program, making it one of the largest privately funded scholarship programs in the country.
“Evans Scholars boast a graduation rate of 92 percent and a cumulative GPA of 3.25, showcasing their commitment to academic achievement and determination to make a difference in the lives of others,” said John Kaczkowski, president and CEO of the WGA. “From the program’s namesake to the current scholars at Indiana and Purdue universities, respectively, Indiana has played a definitive role in shaping the Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship program into what it is today.”
In addition, for the first time in nearly 50 years, two students have earned an Evans Scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.
For several years, leaders from the Western Golf Association, which oversees the Evans Scholars Foundation, have talked about sending caddies to Notre Dame. This year, the timing was right to move forward with a new partnership.
“We’re a national university. We’re trying to recruit top students with different backgrounds for a very talented, diverse student body,” says Scott Malpass, who is the university’s vice president and chief investment officer, as well as a volunteer WGA Director. “So many great kids get involved in caddie programs across the country. Values like integrity, hard work and discipline are what caddies have to exhibit and certainly are the traits we seek in students. We felt we should be a part of this and have a chance to meet kids we might not have otherwise had the opportunity to.”
All proceeds from the 2013 Hotel Fitness Championship will benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to caddies from modest means, and Fort Wayne charities.
For more information about the Hotel Fitness Championship or tickets, visit https://www.hotelfitnesschampionship.com or contact the tournament staff at info@hotelfitnesschampionship.com. For more information on the WGA and ESF, or visit: www.wgaesf.org.
About Western Golf Association
Founded in 1899 to serve golfing interests in the growing Midwest, the WGA now has more than 400 member clubs. The WGA conducts championships for professional and amateur golfers, promotes the use of caddies and oversees the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards college scholarships to caddies with limited financial means. The WGA is a driving force in the game, a respected charitable cause for thousands of supporters and a distinguished leader in the nation’s golf community. Its premier golf event is the BMW Championship, the second-oldest tournament on the PGA TOUR. For more information on the WGA and ESF, call (847) 724-4600 or visit: www.wgaesf.org.About the Web.com Tour
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Web.Com Tour identifies those players who are ready to compete and win on golf’s biggest stage. As the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR, three out of four PGA TOUR members are Web.com Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won 345 PGA TOUR titles, including 17 majors and five PLAYERS Championships. Twenty-five PGA TOUR cards for 2013 were awarded in late October at the conclusion of Tour’s 27-event season. Web.com became the Tour’s umbrella sponsor on June 27, 2012, replacing Nationwide Insurance. A 10-year agreement (through 2021) is in place. Beginning in 2013, the Web.com Tour becomes the path to the PGA TOUR with all 50 PGA TOUR cards coming through the Web.com Tour and the season culminating at the four-event Web.com Tour Finals in September. The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its three tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, supports over 2,000 local charities and has surpassed $1.7 billion in charitable giving. To learn more about the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM, Twitter and Facebook.About Hotel Fitness®
Hotel Fitness (www.HotelFitness.com) is a global leader in designing and supplying quality commercial products to the hotel, resort and multi-family marketplace. Hotel Fitness, a Brigadoon Fitness Company, provides state-of-the-art fitness equipment, sports flooring, accessories and knowledgeable facility design & planning services. Partnering with leading global manufacturers, their design and product sales team works with many of the largest and most recognized hoteliers and global developers. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, IN, Hotel Fitness has assisted 30,000 commercial developers and hoteliers over 20 years with the design, development and fulfillment of high performing on-site fitness facilities. The World’s Leader in Hotel & Resort Fitness®.