Three student caddies from South Carolina have received full ride university scholarships, one of these being a student from North Augusta.
DJ Bookard received the Evans Scholarship, valued at more than $125,000 over four years, granting him full housing and tuition to the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
Fellow winners include Simon McAlister from Beaufort and Benton Orr from Aiken.
Bookard Background
Bookard, a North Augusta High School graduate, is currently studying biology as a college freshman and hopes to pursue dentistry. He has been awarded the scholarship for the remaining three years of his undergraduate studies.
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Bookard started caddying at Old Barnwell, a private golf club in Aiken, last April right before the Masters. Just coming off of a football injury, he said he was looking for a job that wasn’t too physically intensive.
“I just knew instantly it was something I wanted to do,” he said.
Bookard shared a little bit about what it takes to be a caddie and support a golf player on the green.
“You really have to have good people skills, you have to be able to talk to your player, be able to communicate very well,” he said. “Not just communication, but also upkeep. Golf is not a slow game…it’s actually meant to be played fairly fast and so as a caddie your job is to stay one step ahead of your golfer.”
As for receiving the news of his scholarship award – which he found out the day after his birthday – Bookard said he feels “so blessed.”
“It’s a pretty exciting experience,” he said. “to have the opportunity, really all I can really say is I’m so blessed.”
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What it takes to be an Evans Scholar
Qualifications include meeting the Evans Scholars Program’s four criteria: a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character.
The Evans Scholars Program is overseen by The Western Golf Association in Illinois.
The Western Golf Association (WGA), headquartered in Glenview, Ill., oversees the Evans Scholars Program. Recently recognized as the Scholarship Provider of the Year by the National Scholarship Providers Association, the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF) is one of golf’s favorite charities and the nation’s largest scholarship program for caddies.
As the Evans Scholars Program continues to grow nationwide, more students from newer areas, including Charleston, Aiken and throughout South Carolina, are being introduced to the opportunity to caddie and earn a full college scholarship.
The first Evans Scholars of Old Barnwell
Bookard and Orr are the first caddies from Old Barnwell to be awarded the Evans Scholarship.
“Old Barnwell and our community of members could not be more excited for DJ and Benton,” WGA Director Nick Schreiber said in a press release. “We hope they are just the tip of the iceberg as we continue to develop and enhance our growing youth caddie program with the support of the Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation.”
