EXTRAORDINARY CADDIES CARRY ON—TO COLLEGE

Where there’s an Evans Scholar, there’s a story.

And it’s usually an inspirational one.

Sarah Adebayo’s began in 2019, when the Chicago resident and Loyola Academy senior first heard about the Western Golf Association’s Evans Scholarship Foundation, a full, four-year housing and tuition scholarship for golf caddies.

“A daughter of a friend of my mother (Ayo) was looking to be a caddie,” says Adebayo, who immigrated with Ayo from Nigeria to Chicago when Sarah was an infant.

“I did some research and learned about the Evans Scholarships. My goal, right then, was to earn one.”

It didn’t matter that Adebayo hadn’t been a golfer. She was determined to shoot high for an opportunity to pursue a degree in biology and a career in the medical field.

Adebayo became a caddie at Bryn Mawr Country Club in Lincolnwood, commuting (public transportation, walking) an hour each way to work loops (rounds of golf) for the next several years.

Last year she applied for an Evans Scholarship— founded and named after famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans in 1930—valued at more than $125,000 over four years. The scholarship’s four criteria are a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need, and outstanding character.

Adebayo went 4-for-4.

Weeks later, after having interviewed for the award, Adebayo opened an envelope from the Western Golf Association, read its contents, and promptly screamed.

She then cried tears of joy.

“I was happy,” says the University of Illinois Chicago-bound Adebayo, who sings in Loyola Academy’s choir and volunteers in Chicago as a tutor for youth at Madonna Mission, a not-forprofit organization providing education and resettlement support for refugee individuals and their families.

“I’d dedicated myself to achieving something all those years ago and realized my hard work paid off.”

Helen Rinaolo’s story is a wonderful family sequel. The sixth of nine children, Rinaolo—a Lake Forest High School senior and a sister of Mark, a 2016 Evans Scholar—began caddying at Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park the summer before the start of her freshman year.

Raised by her single mother, Beth, since 2015, Helen often bikes four miles to Exmoor CC. The two-sport athlete (badminton and cross country) and 4.0 honors student at LFHS also works as a host at two Lake Forest restaurants and somehow finds time in her packed days to lift weights four or five times a week at a local gym.

“I value exercise, health, and fitness,” says Rinaolo, who plans to study nutrition and dietetics at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and is thinking about pursuing a career in physical therapy.

Rinaolo had a good feeling as soon as she handled the WGA envelope that arrived in her mailbox late last year.

“It had some thickness to it, a good sign,” she recalls. “I got excited. As I read the letter, I felt total relief, followed by joy. The scholarship was going to help my family again.”

The scholarship gave Beth yet another reason to be proud of Helen.

“My mother,” Helen says, “is my biggest role model. While interviewing for the Evans scholarship, I cried when I talked about my mother. She’s incredibly humble and hardworking, as well as kind and patient.

“She’s everything I hope to be.”

Both Adebayo and Rinaolo have appreciated a range of experiences as caddies, from invaluable conversations with members between shots to a preview of life after college.

“I’ve received investment advice and life advice,” Rinaolo says. “One member helped me become a better caddie.”

“Being a caddie,” Adebayo says, “has given me a glimpse of what adulthood will be like. I’ve learned to plan things out and be patient.”

A record 1,100 caddies are enrolled at 22 universities across the nation as Evans Scholars, and more than 11,800 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the program’s inception.

“Each student has demonstrated excellence in the classroom, on the golf course, and in their communities,” WGA Chairman Joe Desch says in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome them to what will be an exceptional class of New Scholars from across the nation.

Scholarship funds come mostly from contributions by more than 36,000 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 of the FedExCup competition, are donated to the Evans Scholars Foundation.

Other recent recipients of an Evans Scholarship include Sarah Isa (Chicago resident, Loyola Academy); Karla Tapia (Chicago, Woodlands Academy); Elizabeth Nakashima (Glenview, Glenbrook South High School); Marcus Santos (Glenview, Glenbrook North HS); Henry McGlynn (Lake Bluff, Lake Forest High School); Jessica Luna (Northbrook, Glenbrook North High School); Nareg Sarrafian (Northbrook, Glenbrook North HS); Sebastian Hernandez Benavides (Lake Bluff, Lake Forest HS); Haryu Wooten (Evanston, Loyola Academy); Javier Sebastian Sanchez (Highwood, Highland Park High School); and Natalie Vela (Waukegan, Woodlands Academy).

To learn more about the Western Golf Association and the Evans Scholarship Foundation, visit wgaesf.org.