Charles E. "Chick" Evans, Jr. (July 18, 1890 – November 6, 1979) was a leading amateur
golfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er of the 1910s and 1920s. Evans was the first amateur to win the
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
and U.S. Amateur in one year, a feat he achieved in 1916. Evans went on to win the U.S. Amateur in 1920, while finishing runner-up three times. Selected to the
Walker CupThe Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
team in 1922, 1924, and 1928, Evans competed in a record 50 consecutive U.S. Amateurs in his long career. All this was achieved with only seven hickory-shafted clubs. In addition to his golf career, Evans is known for sponsoring a college
scholarshipA scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
for qualified caddies.
In 1960, he was voted the
Bob Jones AwardThe Bob Jones Award is the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. It is named in honor of Bobby Jones.-Winners:*1955 Francis Ouimet*1956 William C. Campbell*1957 Babe Zaharias...
, the highest honor given by the
United States Golf AssociationThe United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. He is a member of the
World Golf Hall of FameThe World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site serves both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 golf organizations from all over the world.The Hall of...
.
History
Evans was born in
IndianapolisIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
,
IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and grew up on the north side of
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. At the age of eight, Evans was first exposed to golf by being a caddie at a Chicago course, the Edgewater Golf Club. From these beginnings, Evans became one of the most acclaimed American amateur golfers of his time, eventually earning induction into the
World Golf Hall of FameThe World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site serves both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 golf organizations from all over the world.The Hall of...
in 1975. The accomplishment that gave him the most contemporary publicity came in 1916, when Evans won both the U.S. Amateur and
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
in the same year. He was the first person to accomplish this task, and only Bobby Jones has done it since. Evans also won the
Western OpenThe Western Open, a professional golf tournament, was first played in 1899. At the time of its 2006 playing, the Western Open was the 3rd oldest active PGA Tour tournament, after the British Open and U.S. Open...
in 1910, the only amateur to do so until
Scott VerplankScott Rachal Verplank is an American professional golfer.Verplank was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He was a leading member of the W.T. White High School Golf Team and a regular at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas...
in 1985.
Into the 1960s, Evans was an active participant in senior tournaments. Even at his age, he was competing in the U.S. Amateur events, and eventually set a record of completing 50 of these championships. Evans played his last rounds of competitive golf in 1967. After his retirement, he continued to attend events as a spectator and converse with the fans and players. He died in 1979, aged 89.
Approaching the WGA
After his wins in 1916, Evans was given several thousand dollars in royalties for recording golf instructions for the
Brunswick Record CompanyBrunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
. If he accepted this money, he would have lost his amateur status. Evans's mother suggested that he could put the money to good use by sponsoring a scholarship fund for caddies. (Evans was himself unable to finish his matriculation at
Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
where he was a member of
Phi Delta ThetaPhi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
due to financial reasons.) Evans is quoted as saying: "My mother wouldn't think of accepting my money unless we could arrange it to be trusted to furnish educations for deserving qualified caddies." He also went on to say, "She pointed out that the money came from golf and thus should go back into golf -- It was all her dream -- her idea."
Evans went to the
Western Golf AssociationThe Western Golf Association is one of the United States' oldest golf organizations, and its headquarters are located in Golf, Illinois. The WGA sponsors three prestigious golf tournaments: the Western Junior, the Western Amateur and the BMW Championship, a FedEx Cup playoff event...
(WGA), an organization that ran golf championships in the Midwest, to get their support for his scholarship. The organization initially declined to support Evans, but eventually agreed to oversee his fund. By 1929, the Evans Scholars Foundation had formed.
Forming the Evans Scholars Foundation
Evans's dream was finally made a reality in 1930, when two caddies by the name of Harold Fink and Jim McGinnis were named the first two Evans Scholars. Chick Evans' long friendship with Chicago tax attorney, Carleton Blunt, proved to be the catalyst for launching the Evans Scholars Foundation. Blunt, an avid golfer and philanthropist, supported Evans' vision for helping caddies attend colleges and universities across the country but raising the necessary funds for decades. The criteria used to choose these recipients were scholarship, fellowship, and leadership. Since that time, over 8,000 caddies have become Evans Scholars and attained college educations. The scholarship program continues today as the largest scholarship organization in sports and the largest privately-funded scholarship program in the United States.
Scholarship houses exist at the following Universities:
University of ColoradoThe University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, University of Illinois,
Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
,
Marquette UniversityMarquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
, University of Wisconsin,
Purdue UniversityPurdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
,
Ohio State UniversityThe Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
,
Northern Illinois UniversityNorthern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
,
University of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
,
Indiana UniversityIndiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
,
University of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
,
Michigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
,
Miami UniversityMiami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
and the
University of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
In addition to those universities at which houses exist, scholarships recipients attend several other universities around the country.
Tournament wins (22)
- 1907 Chicago Amateur, Western Junior, Western Interscholastic
- 1908 Chicago Amateur, Western Interscholastic
- 1909 Western Amateur
The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association....
- 1910 Western Open
The Western Open, a professional golf tournament, was first played in 1899. At the time of its 2006 playing, the Western Open was the 3rd oldest active PGA Tour tournament, after the British Open and U.S. Open...
- 1911 French Amateur, North and South Amateur, Chicago Amateur
- 1912 Western Amateur
The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association....
- 1914 Western Amateur
The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association....
, Chicago District Amateur
- 1915 Western Amateur
The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association....
- 1916 U.S. Open
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, U.S. Amateur
- 1920 U.S. Amateur, Western Amateur
The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association....
- 1921 Western Amateur
The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association....
- 1922 Western Amateur
The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association....
- 1923 Western Amateur
The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association....
- 1925 Kansas City Open
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 1916 |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
3 shot lead |
+2 (70-69-74-73=286) |
2 strokes |
 Jock HutchisonJack Fowler "Jock" Hutchison was a Scottish-American professional golfer.Hutchison was born in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland but later moved to the United States and became a U.S. citizen in 1920. He won two major championships, the 1920 PGA Championship and the 1921 Open Championship at the St Andrews...
|
Results timeline
Note: As an amateur, Evans could not play in the
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
.
| Tournament |
1911 |
1912 |
1913 |
1914 |
1915 |
1916 |
1917 |
1918 |
1919 |
| Masters Tournament |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
2 LA |
18 |
1 LA |
NT |
NT |
T9 LA |
British OpenThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
T49 |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
| Tournament |
1920 |
1921 |
1922 |
1923 |
1924 |
1925 |
1926 |
1927 |
1928 |
1929 |
| Masters Tournament |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
T6 LA |
4 LA |
16 |
T14 |
T10 |
DNP |
T13 |
CUT |
CUT |
DNP |
British OpenThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
| Tournament |
1930 |
1931 |
1932 |
1933 |
1934 |
1935 |
1936 |
1937 |
1938 |
1939 |
| Masters Tournament |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
NYF |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
T54 |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
T50 |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
British OpenThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
| Tournament |
1940 |
1941 |
1942 |
1943 |
1944 |
1945 |
1946 |
1947 |
1948 |
1949 |
| Masters Tournament |
51 |
DNP |
DNP |
NT |
NT |
NT |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
DNP |
CUT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
DNP |
CUT |
CUT |
CUT |
British OpenThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
| Tournament |
1950 |
1951 |
1952 |
1953 |
1954 |
1955 |
1956 |
1957 |
1958 |
1959 |
1960 |
| Masters Tournament |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
64 |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
CUT |
CUT |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
CUT |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
British OpenThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
LA = Low Amateur
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Runner-up |
| 1916 |
U.S. Amateur |
4 & 3 |
 Robert A. GardnerRobert Abbe Gardner was an American multi-sport athlete best known for winning the U.S. Amateur in golf twice....
|
| 1920 |
U.S. Amateur |
7 & 6 |
Francis Ouimet Francis DeSales Ouimet was an American golfer, who is frequently referred to as the "father of amateur golf" in the United States. He won the 1913 U.S. Open, and was the first American elected Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews...
|
Results timeline
| Tournament |
1909 |
1910 |
1911 |
1912 |
1913 |
1914 |
1915 |
1916 |
1917 |
1918 |
1919 |
| U.S. Amateur |
SF |
SF |
SF |
2 |
SF |
R32 |
R32 |
1 |
NT |
NT |
R16 |
| British Amateur |
DNP |
DNP |
R16 |
DNP |
DNP |
R32 |
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
| Tournament |
1920 |
1921 |
1922 |
1923 |
1924 |
1925 |
1926 |
1927 |
1928 |
1929 |
| U.S. Amateur |
1 |
SF |
2 |
R32 |
R32 |
DNQ |
QF |
2 |
R32 |
DNQ |
| British Amateur |
DNP |
R64 |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
R128 |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
| Tournament |
1930 |
1931 |
1932 |
1933 |
1934 |
1935 |
1936 |
1937 |
1938 |
1939 |
| U.S. Amateur |
DNQ |
DNQ |
QF |
R32 |
QF |
R256 |
R64 |
QF |
DNP |
DNQ |
| British Amateur |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
| Tournament |
1940 |
1941 |
1942 |
1943 |
1944 |
1945 |
1946 |
1947 |
1948 |
1949 |
| U.S. Amateur |
DNQ |
DNQ |
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
DNQ |
R256 |
R128 |
R256 |
| British Amateur |
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
NT |
R64 |
DNP |
DNP |
R128 |
| Tournament |
1950 |
1951 |
1952 |
1953 |
1954 |
1955 |
1956 |
1957 |
1958 |
1959 |
| U.S. Amateur |
R256 |
R256 |
R128 |
R256 |
R256 |
R128 |
R256 |
R64 |
R64 |
R128 |
| British Amateur |
R512 |
DNP |
R128 |
R256 |
DNP |
R64 |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
| Tournament |
1960 |
1961 |
1962 |
| U.S. Amateur |
R256 |
R256 |
R256 |
| British Amateur |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP = Did not play
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for 1911 British Amateur:
The American Golfer, July, 1911, pg. 186.
Source for 1914 British Amateur:
Golf Illustrated, July, 1914, pg. 28.
Source for 1921 British Amateur:
The American Golfer, June 4, 1921, pg. 24.
Source for 1926 British Amateur:
The American Golfer, July, 1926, pg. 58.
Source for 1946 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 30, 1946, pg. 2.
Source for 1949 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1949, pg. 2.
Source for 1950 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 23, 1950, pg. 9.
Source for 1952 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 29, 1952, pg. 7.
Source for 1953 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 27, 1953, pg. 4.
Source for 1955 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, June 2, 1955, pg. 4.
External links