Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2023 - 37

CADDIE CORNER
Nine Minnesota Caddies
Earn Evans Scholarship
* BY JACK MENDESH *
W
hen asked by the selection
committee what the Evans
Scholarship would mean to
him, Jack Sand, a caddie-scholar from
Interlachen Country Club,
responded,
" The Evans Scholarship would save my
family from a huge financial burden. I
hope to be in the same seats as you one day
and give back to a great program like all
of you. "
Another
prospective
caddie-scholar,
Cory Stewart, of Hazeltine National Golf
Club, said of his volunteer experience, " It's
not hard to help people. Twenty hours a
year doesn't seem like a lot to you, but it can
make a huge difference in somebody's life. "
And, finally, Kaito Kedrowski, a caddiescholar
from White Bear Yacht Club, said
about the day in Japanese, " Today is a very
important day in my life. " Kedrowski is fluent
in Japanese, learning the language from
a young age.
With some of the selection committee
attending the meeting virtually, the online
video platform allowed everyone to meet
the highly accomplished young men and
one woman, who were selected based on
their high school academic record, leadership
activities, caddie record and their
family's financial need. The scholarship
applicants received news of their Evans
Scholarship selection in mid-February,
joining one of the largest caddie scholarship
programs in the country. More than
two dozen similar selection meetings were
held recently, awarding 315 scholarships
to 22 colleges and universities in the fall.
There are currently a record 1,110 caddies
enrolled as Evans Scholars across the nation
and over 11,000 alumni-with more than
700 from Minnesota.
As a young adult, Chick Evans was
forced to drop out of school due to financial
reasons. After winning the 1916
mngolf.org
U.S. Open at The Minikahda Club in
Minneapolis, Evans turned down his
golf prize money and other related revenue
to
start
the
Evans
Scholarship
Program for young caddies. The first
Evans Scholars attended Northwestern
University in 1930. Twenty years later,
the
first Evans Scholar attended the
University of Minnesota.
In 2030, the WGA will celebrate the
100th anniversary of the program, and
they have established ambitious goals for
the centennial, including increasing the
number of scholars from 1,000 to 1,500,
making the organization more diverse,
and doubling the number of youth caddies.
The Minnesota WGA volunteer directors,
working in concert with local club staff,
club leaders, community leaders and the
team at the MGA, are creating plans to
strengthen local caddie programs to support
those goals.
Jack Mendesh is the MGA's caddie development
manager, and can be reached at
caddie@mngolf.org.
MGA Member Clubs
with Caddie Programs:
* Bearpath Golf & Country Club
* Edina Country Club
* Elk River Golf Club
* Golden Valley Country Club
* Hazeltine National Golf Club
* Interlachen Country Club
* Keller Golf Club
* Madden's On Gull Lake - The Classic
* Midland Hills Country Club
* Minneapolis Golf Club
* Minnesota Valley Country Club
* North Oaks Golf Club
* Northland Country Club
* Oak Ridge Country Club
* Olympic Hills Golf Club
* Somerset Country Club
* Spring Hill Golf Club
* The Minikahda Club
* Town & Country Club
* Wayzata Country Club
* White Bear Yacht Club
* Windsong Farm
* Woodhill Country Club
Ava Fredrickson
Robbinsdale Armstrong
H.S./Golden Valley CC
Jon " Mack " Gilbertson
Minnetonka H.S./
Hazeltine National GC
Kaito Kedrowski
Mahtomedi H.S./
White Bear Yacht Club
Jack Sand
Minnetonka H.S./
Interlachen CC
Luke Schottenbauer
Marshall School/
Northland CC
Cory Stewart
Eden Prairie H.S./
Hazeltine National GC
Milo Uhlenkott
DeLaSalle H.S./
Midland Hills CC
Elliot Weiblen
Roseville Area H.S./
Midland Hills CC
William Wurst
Roseville Area H.S./
Midland Hills CC
Spring 2023 MINNESOTAGOLFER
37
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2023

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