BMW Media Site Chick Evans: The Caddies' Benefactor Chick Evans: The Caddies' Benefactor Chicago’s legendary amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. was born on July 18, 1890. He and his family moved to Chicago in 1893, and five years later, he began caddying at Edgewater Golf Club at age 8.From that early introduction to the game, Evans grew into the nation’s top amateur golfer. He earned his greatest fame in 1916 when he won both the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur. No other golfer had ever claimed both championships in the same year, and only the great Bobby Jones has done it since.Always an AmateurAs Evans’ fame grew, pressure mounted for him to turn professional. The sport was growing in popularity, but Evans wasn’t interested in playing golf for money. He loved the game for its purity, tradition and sportsmanship, and turning professional seemed inappropriate to him.Still, his skills attracted fans, and he couldn’t avoid entering into agreements that brought money his way. To preserve his amateur status, Evans decided that any such earnings should be placed in an escrow fund. In his era, that could be done, and a golfer could remain an amateur.A Commitment to CaddiesEvans, influenced by his mother, Lena, had a plan. If enough money could be raised, the funds could finance college educations for needy caddies. That commitment grew from Evans’ own inability to complete his college education. He attended Northwestern University as a freshman but had to drop out of school.From his Edgewater days, Evans knew there were many worthy young caddies who showed academic promise but whose families could not afford the costs of college. In 1928, Evans persuaded the Western Golf Association to oversee the trust fund, and in 1930, the first two Evans Scholars enrolled at Northwestern University. Chick Evans’ dream had become a reality.A Champion GolferAlong the way, Evans realized another dream, that of becoming a world-renowned amateur golfer. He entered the national spotlight in 1909 when he won the Western Amateur. The following year, he became the first amateur to win the Western Open, a feat unmatched for 75 years, until college player Scott Verplank beat the pros.Evans’ winning performance in the 1916 U.S. Open was among the best of his generation.  Using just seven hickory-shafted clubs, Evans fired a two-under-par 286 at Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, the first sub-par finish in Open history and a score that wouldn’t be bettered for 20 years.Evans won eight Western Amateurs and appeared in 50 consecutive U.S. Amateurs, winning a second in 1920 and making it to at least the semifinals 12 times. He played in the Western Open until 1967, when he was 77 years old. After that, he was the Western’s host.  An honorary WGA vice-president, Evans’ last appearance was at the 1978 Western at Butler National, where he and winner Andy Bean chatted about what clubs Chick should be using.His Biggest ThrillIn all, Chick Evans’ golfing career lasted six decades. He triumphed over such golfing luminaries as Bobby Jones, Francis Ouimet, Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen, and competed in an inapproachable record of 50 consecutive U.S. Amateur Championships.  And yet, when Chick died in 1979, his biggest thrill from the game of golf was not any of his 54 victories or numerous honors. It was the success of the Evans Scholars Foundation and the young people who were able to benefit from his dream.    CHICK EVANS’ GOLFING RECORDCompetitive                                 U. S. Open -                       Champion, 1916; runner-up, 1914; tied 3rd, 1920                          Western Open -            Champion, 1910                          U. S. Amateur -            Champion, 1916 and 1920; runner-up, 1912, 1922 and 1927;                       Semi-finalist seven other years                          Western Amateur -            Champion 8 times (1909, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923)                          North & South Amateur -            Champion, 1911                          French Amateur -            Champion, 1911                          Chicago Amateur -            Champion, 1907, 1908, 1911, 1944                          Western Interscholastic -            Champion, 1906, 1907, 1908                          Senior Bowl -            Champion, 1957                          U. S. Walker Cup Team -            Member, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1928                 Competed in U. S. Amateur Championship 20 successive times, each year from 1907 through 1959. For 14 successive years from 1909 to 1923, he held at least one major golf title.Honors• Honorary Vice-President, Western Golf Association• A member of every golf Hall of Fame• Evans Scholars Foundation created in his honor, 1930• Received the USGA’s Bob Jones Award for “Distinguished Sportsmanship” in 1960• Received the Richardson Trophy from the Golf Writers Association of America for “greatest contribution to golf” in 1951• Received the Fred Waring Sportsmanship Award, 1956• Voted “Senior of the Year” by American Seniors Golf Association, 1955• Instrumental in the founding of almost all present major senior golf associations• NCAA Championship Trophy named in his honor, 1940• Chicago District Golf Association trophy named in his honor, 1916• Received honorary Life Membership in all CDGA clubs, 1920• Author of two books, “Chick Evans Golf Book” and “Golf For Boys and Girls”• Honored with degrees or awards by all 14 universities where the Evans ScholarsFoundation maintains Chapters and also by universities in the Chicago area