Six local students are in their first few weeks at college, attending on a full scholarship thanks to the game of golf, but they aren’t golfers; they won a free ride for caddying.
They’re the unsung heroes in a $100 billion sport.
“Everyone’s looking at the golfer. They’re doing the shots, they’re doing all this, but the caddies are the ones that are knowing what they should do. and really without them, they wouldn’t succeed the way they do,” said Zach Auel, an Evans Scholar.
Even on his first day as a caddy at South Hills Country Club, Zach Auel realized his new summer job could be much more.
There’s a plaque hanging in the hallway dedicated to the club’s Evans Scholars. Caddies who traded their time on the course for a full ride to college.
“It basically set a goal for me and then for the next four years, I dedicated myself to accomplishing that,” Auel said.
Gary Evans remembers when that plaque carried just a few names of those who stood out in a rigorous selection process.
Today it’s nearly full, and as Western Golf Association Director, he’s preparing to add a second.
“Take a caddy, change a life. That’s what we’re all doing when we take these young caddies, starting off on that first day. You’re starting that change, and you’re helping them to ultimately get a scholarship,” Evans said.
That life-changing news came earlier this year for Zach. His name will soon be on the plaque that inspired him years ago.
“There was a package at the door, and I ran inside to open it with my dad. I remember we were jumping around for five minutes and so excited,” said Auel.
He’s one of six Evans Scholars from western Pennsylvania this year, most heading to Penn State this fall.
They are carrying on the tradition, from the fairway to the future
“It puts an award to all my hard work and proves that if you work hard, you can do whatever,” Auel said. “It will allow me to not think of all this debt that I would have if I didn’t get the scholarship. It’s just truly a blessing.”
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