March 22, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK-AREA CADDIES ENTER COLLEGE WITH HELP FROM FULL TUITION AND HOUSING WESTCHESTER EVANS SCHOLARSHIPS
Elmsford, NY – Five students from the New York area are preparing to start their college careers with the help of the Westchester Evans Scholarship, a full tuition and housing college grant awarded to golf caddies.
The result of a partnership between the Western Golf Association’s Evans Scholars Foundation and the Westchester Golf Association’s Caddie Scholarship Fund, Westchester Evans Scholars are chosen based on a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character. Candidates must meet the qualifications of both organizations in order to earn the scholarship. The Evans Scholarship is valued at an estimated $120,000 over four years. Winners are listed below and organized by hometown.
The recipients caddied at Westchester Golf Association member clubs and will begin college in the fall of 2019, attending one of the 18 universities nationwide with an Evans Scholars chapter. They were awarded Westchester Evans Scholarships following a selection meeting at The Union League Club in New York City on Feb. 11.
“We are proud that for over 60 years, the Westchester Caddie Scholarship Fund has provided aid to every candidate with financial need, and now, through our partnership with Evans, we have been able to provide the opportunity of a full scholarship,” says Ben Kirschenbaum, former president of the Westchester Caddie Scholarship Fund.
The New York City selection meeting was one of more than 20 such meetings the Evans Scholars Foundation has held across the country through the spring. When the 2018-19 selection meeting process is completed by April, an estimated 280 caddies are expected to be awarded the Evans Scholarship.
“Each of these deserving Evans Scholars epitomizes what our Program has been about since its creation in 1930,” said Western Golf Association Chairman Frank Morley. “Their dedication, hard work and sacrifice is humbling, and we are honored to be able to help them pursue their dreams.”
The five newly awarded Westchester Evans Scholars will join the three current Westchester Evans Scholars for a total of eight in school this fall.
| Name | Hometown | High School | Sponsoring Golf Club | Awarded University |
| Haley Bernier | Monroe, CT | Lauralton Hall | CT-Brooklawn CC | Penn State University |
| Jack Zona | New Milford, CT | Kennedy Catholic HS | NY-Quaker Ridge GC | Marquette University |
| Isaiah Merced | Shelton, CT | Aerospace/Hydrospace Engineering & Physical Sciences HS at the Fairchild Wheeler Campus | CT-Brooklawn CC | Miami University |
| Caroline McMullen | Stamford, CT | Lauralton Hall | CT-Wee Burn CC | University of Notre Dame |
| John Kane | Trumbull, CT | Fairfield College Preparatory | CT-CC of Fairfield | University of Michigan |
About the Evans Scholars Foundation
Established by famed amateur golfer Charles Chick Evans Jr., the Evans Scholars Foundation provides full housing and tuition scholarships to high-achieving caddies across the country. Currently, a record 985 caddies are enrolled in 18 universities across the nation as Evans Scholars. The Program, which is supported by the Western Golf Association, is funded by contributions from more than 32,000 Evans Scholars Par Club members, including Evans Scholars Alumni, as well as proceeds from the BMW Championship. Since the Program’s inception in 1930, more than 10,830 caddies nationwide have graduated as Evans Scholars. To learn more, visit www.wgaesf.org.
About the Westchester Golf Association Caddie Scholarship Fund
The Westchester Golf Association Caddie Scholarship Fund is a nonprofit organization that provides financial-need-based scholarships to caddies and others who work in service to golf at local participating golf and country clubs in the Bronx, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties of New York and Fairfield county of Connecticut. It was founded in 1956 by Willie Turnesa and Udo Reinach. Initially, six young men were awarded approximately $10,000. Today, with 289 recipients and a four-year tuition commitment of $4.0 million, the WGA Caddie Scholarship Fund is one of the largest organizations of its kind in the country. For more information, visit www.caddiescholarship.org.
CONTACT: Amy Fuller
Western Golf Association
Evans Scholarship Foundation
847-724-4600
fuller@wgaesf.org
CONTACT: Helen Stock
Metropolitan Golf Association
Westchester Golf Association CSF
914-909-1191
hstock@mgagolf.org