A Pro Golf Tournament Connects Local Caddies to College

Three years ago, on a summer day, Kevin Flowers arrived at the Baltimore Country Club unsure of what to expect. Growing up in “West Baltimore, 21229,” he says, proudly, Flowers knew little about golf, or the job he agreed to try as a caddy—carrying golfers’ bags, spotting balls, and helping determine the best direction and speed of their putts on the private 36-hole course north of the city.

“I was nervous,” recalls Flowers, pictured above, “I was fidgety, making minor mistakes, but eventually adjusted.”

Members helped, he said, especially a mentor, John Leahy, who was a trustee at Loyola Blakefield, Flowers’ school, who told the then-freshman about the job, knowing full well where it could lead.

Flowers later called Leahy to inquire more. And he’s glad he did, as it opened up more doors than he could’ve imagined.

On a sunny weekend this April, Flowers visited College Park to get acquainted with another new place and meet his future classmates at the University of Maryland—all fellow caddies on full-ride scholarships, several from Baltimore. They had lunch together, played pool, and toured the campus.

They were all there thanks to the nationwide Evans Scholarship, awarded yearly to high-achieving caddies with good grades and character, as well as financial need, who’ve worked 100 rounds.

Caddying hours are long and physically demanding—carrying two 25-pound bags over miles of hills for four-plus hours—and the environment takes many out of their comfort zone. Some, like Flowers, had never previously picked up a golf club.

“It was hard, but I did it,” says Flowers, who managed to log those caddy hours despite a part-time job at a retirement home, a keen interest in taekwondo, and not having a driver’s license.

The Evans Scholars Foundation, founded in 1930 by Chick Evans, a former caddie and U.S. amateur player, has sent more than 12,000 kids to college at no cost, and 24 universities have affiliated “Evans Houses,” where recipients live.

Four years ago, the program expanded to Baltimore when the annual BMW Championship attracted more than 100,000 people over four days to Caves Valley Golf Club. All proceeds from the tournament—$5.6 million in 2021—help fund caddy scholarships. A premier PGA Tour event, the BMW returns to Owings Mills from August 12-17.

Varada Maulkhan of Catonsville graduated from UMD this spring—an inaugural member of the Evans class there. In April, she greeted the newest members, including Flowers, who plans to major in kinesiology.

“It’s a life-changing opportunity,” says Maulkhan, who wants to become a teacher. “I’ve met so many people over the years who…want to do something in life, but they just cannot financially do it.”

Flowers, raised primarily by his father, says he would’ve felt the financial burden without the opportunity he seized: “I’m forever grateful.”