Twenty-four caddies from across the state of Indiana have recently been awarded the Western Golf Association’s Chick Evans Scholarship — a full housing and tuition college grant offered to youth golf caddies valued at more than $125,000 over four years.
Out of this round of 2026 awardees from Indiana, local student Brian Fullington, a senior at Paoli Jr. Sr. High School and a French Lick Resort caddie, has earned the scholarship. Brian is the French Lick Resort’s 15th scholarship winner since 2009 at the Pete Dye Course, and he is following in the footsteps of his older brother, Michael, who is also a previous Evans Scholarship recipient.
Brian’s selection along with the other chosen students were made following interviews held at Briar Ridge Country Club in Schererville and Meridian Hills Country Club in Indianapolis on January 28th and 29th, 2026.
To qualify for the Evans Scholarship, each student must meet the Program’s four selection criteria: a strong caddie record, excellent academics, financial need, and outstanding character.
The students will begin college this fall as Evans Scholars, with most expected to attend Indiana University in Bloomington or Purdue University in West Lafayette. Final university placements will be determined this spring.
The Western Golf Association (WGA), headquartered in Glenview, Illinois, has supported the Chick Evans Scholarship Program through the Evans Scholars Foundation since 1930. Known as one of golf’s favorite charities, it is the nation’s largest scholarship program for caddies.
Currently, a record 1,260 caddies are enrolled at 27 universities nationwide as Evans Scholars, including 51 at Indiana University, 40 at Purdue and 48 at Notre Dame. More than 12,575 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the Program was founded in 1930 by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr.
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.
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 primarily from contributions from more than 43,500 supporters across the country who are members of the Evans Scholars Par Club program. Evans Scholars Alumni donate more than $15 million annually, and all proceeds from the BMW Championship, the penultimate PGA TOUR Playoff event in the FedExCup, benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation. In 2026, the BMW Championship will be held at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri, from August 18-23.
To learn more about the Western Golf Association’s Chick Evans Scholarship, visit: wgaesf.org/.
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