Matthew Withrow of Saint Joseph High School and Dylan Walters of Lake Michigan College have been awarded the prestigious Evans Scholarship from the Western Golf Association Evans Scholars Foundation. Both Matthew and Dylan are Honor Caddies at Point O’ Woods Golf & Country Club, which has a long association with the Evans Scholarship and the WGA.
Matthew and Dylan will begin college in the fall of 2026 as Evans Scholars, with their awarded university to be finalized this spring. The Evans Scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 per student over four years.
The Evans Scholarship is a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies, requiring the scholarship’s four selection criteria: a strong caddie record; excellent academics; demonstrated financial need; and outstanding character. A total of forty-one students from the state of Michigan were recently awarded the Scholarship.
Selection meeting interviews will continue nationwide through spring. By the end of the 2025-26 selection process, an estimated 380 caddies from across the country are expected to receive the Evans Scholarship.
Currently, a record 1,260 caddies are enrolled at 27 universities across the country as Evans Scholars. More than 12,575 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the Program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. in 1930.
“These young men and women have shown excellence in the classroom and in their communities, as well as on the golf course,” said John Kaczkowski, WGA President and CEO. “We welcome them to the Evans Scholars family.”
Evans Scholars have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 and a 98 percent graduation rate. An estimated 40 percent are first-generation college students, and 96 percent are employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduating.
Funds for the Evans Scholarship come mostly from contributions by more than 43,500 supporters across the country, who are members of the Evans Scholars Par Club program. The WGA expressed appreciation to the Point O’ Woods Golf & C.C Par Club members who donated during 2025.
‘The Point’ was the longtime host golf course for the WGA’s ‘Western Amateur Golf Championship’ for decades, before the tournament resumed a rotating schedule of Chicago area courses about 20 years ago. Point caddies over the years had opportunities to meet and serve many of the greats of the game at the start of their careers as they competed in the Western Amateur.
Past caddies also speak of strong mentorship relationships that have benefited them for years through their contact with individual golfers who became role models for them in their personal and professional lives. The Evans Scholarship Program is a shining example of golf’s ability to be much more than a sport to its participants.
