Dear Missouri WGA Friends, With the golf season now in full swing, we have a great deal to celebrate, including 9 Missouri caddies who were awarded Evans Scholarships earlier this year. The Evans Scholars Chapter at the University of Missouri continues to thrive, posting a 3.4 house GPA, completing 356 philanthropy hours this spring, celebrating 14 graduating seniors and welcoming 12 new Scholars this fall. The Evans Scholars Foundation continues to deliver life-changing full tuition and housing scholarships, with 1,260 Scholars in school nationally, 380 new scholarships awarded, and 28 partner universities. Here at home, Missouri now has 14 Evans Scholars in school, supported by 530 alumni and a committed network of directors, clubs, caddies, families, and donors. As you will see throughout the update, we are building momentum across every part of our mission and have an exciting summer ahead, culminating with the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club which will provide significant financial support to the Evans Scholars Foundation. Among the highlights is the establishment of the Missouri Youth Caddie Development Program, which provides a structured first-year experience for newly recruited caddies before their placement in traditional youth caddie programs at participating clubs. The program is expected to increase our pipeline of future Evans Scholars applicants. Many thanks to Westborough Country Club for their support in hosting this inaugural program which is off to a great start. Building on our mission of providing deserving youth caddies with financial need the opportunity to attend college on an Evans Scholarship, we have also recently started working with Normandie Reimagined in supporting the development of their youth caddie program. Fourteen young people, recruited in collaboration with Normandie Reimagined leadership, participated in training sessions at Westborough and are now gaining additional experience through forecaddie spotting sessions at Bellerive. Many thanks to Bellerive for providing this opportunity. Thank you to all of you who invest your time and generously support our youth caddies and Scholars. Take a Caddie - Change a Life! Dear Missouri WGA Friends, With the golf season now in full swing, we have a great deal to celebrate, including 9 Missouri caddies who were awarded Evans Scholarships earlier this year. The Evans Scholars Chapter at the University of Missouri continues to thrive, posting a 3.4 house GPA, completing 356 philanthropy hours this spring, celebrating 14 graduating seniors and welcoming 12 new Scholars this fall. The Evans Scholars Foundation continues to deliver life-changing full tuition and housing scholarships, with 1,260 Scholars in school nationally, 380 new scholarships awarded, and 28 partner universities. Here at home, Missouri now has 14 Evans Scholars in school, supported by 530 alumni and a committed network of directors, clubs, caddies, families, and donors. As you will see throughout the update, we are building momentum across every part of our mission and have an exciting summer ahead, culminating with the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club which will provide significant financial support to the Evans Scholars Foundation. Among the highlights is the establishment of the Missouri Youth Caddie Development Program, which provides a structured first-year experience for newly recruited caddies before their placement in traditional youth caddie programs at participating clubs. The program is expected to increase our pipeline of future Evans Scholars applicants. Many thanks to Westborough Country Club for their support in hosting this inaugural program which is off to a great start. Building on our mission of providing deserving youth caddies with financial need the opportunity to attend college on an Evans Scholarship, we have also recently started working with Normandie Reimagined in supporting the development of their youth caddie program. Fourteen young people, recruited in collaboration with Normandie Reimagined leadership, participated in training sessions at Westborough and are now gaining additional experience through forecaddie spotting sessions at Bellerive. Many thanks to Bellerive for providing this opportunity. Thank you to all of you who invest your time and generously support our youth caddies and Scholars. Take a Caddie - Change a Life! Established by the WGA in 1930, ESF is the nation's largest scholarship program for caddies. Established by the WGA in 1930, ESF is the nation's largest scholarship program for caddies.
Committee Chairs Missouri State Chair Steve Wendling Caddie Development Lead Steve Luebbert Fundraising Lead Jim O'Neill Caddie Recruitment Mike Healey Caddie Training Tommie Wuennenberg Caddies to College Pat Reilly Scholar Relations Sue Rector WGA Missouri Directors Algonquin Golf Club Daniel D. Callahan Kevin C. Kissling Steven F. Luebbert Thomas A. Moore Bellerive Country Club James G. Brennan Philip W. Caster Lisa W. Nouss Lisa W. Neuss James W. O'Neill Susan J. Rector Steven R. Wendling Glen Echo Country Club Thomas P. Barry Greenbriar Hills Country Club John M. Fagan Rebecca Hood William Lane Gerard T. Noce Mary Ellen Strebeck Sherrie Wehner David C. Welsch Jerome M. Welsch Hickory Hills Country Club Monte McNew Lake Forest Country Club Susan J. Rector Meadowbrook Country Club Brett Balber Eddie Flodberg Norwood Hills Country Club Mark A. Jansen Matthew H. Noce Old Warson Country Club James M. Alverson Adam M. Betz Mark D. Heffernan Matthew E. Kopsky Paul G. Lane Robert D. Lazaroff Thomas J. O'Toole Clark Thomas Persimmon Woods Golf Club William R. Kauffman Michael J. O'Keefe St. Louis Country Club Timothy G. Crowley Stacey M. Goltermann Lynn H. Jones Mark B. Lewis Christopher M. Nazaruk Sunset Country Club Timothy J. Banks Patrick Berry Timothy P. Shocklee Westborough Country Club Mark D. Heffernan Leonard M. Landsbaum Steven R. Wendling Westwood Country Club Corey Lohnes Cory Spielberg At Large August S. Bunten Jerome Harris Michael D. Healey Patrick G. Lyons Patrick W. Reilly Mary K. Swanson Timothy N. Turkowski Thomas C. Wuennenberg Stacey Goltermann St. Louis Country Club Monte McNew Hickory Hills Country Club Chris Nazaruk St. Louis Country Club Mike Healey Director At Large Bruce Korn Director Emeritus New Missouri Directors
Gideon Schimpf Titan Leeper El-Amin Chesterton Academy Class of 2031 First Tee Class of 2035
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Current Fundraising Priorities • Fully support WGA Driven Campaign goals, including the 100th anniversary goal of 1,500 Scholars nationwide and Missouri goals of increasing and funding 44 Missouri resident Scholars at the University of Missouri. • Increase Par Club membership, Convenience Billing participation, program awareness and major donor opportunities around the 2026 BMW Championship at Bellerive. Missouri Youth Caddie Development Program Many thanks to Evans Scholars alumnus Glenn Healey and WGA Directors/alumni Jack Holland and Jim O’Neill for their significant financial support of the Evans Scholars Foundation. Glenn recently agreed to direct $80,000 of a restricted donation in support of the Missouri Youth Caddie Development Program and plans to provide additional financial support for the program. Both Jack and Jim have been consistent annual Match Play Partners, providing substantial financial support to the Evans Scholars Foundation. Many thanks to Evans Scholars alumnus Glenn Healey and WGA Directors/alumni Jack Holland and Jim O’Neill for their significant financial support of the Evans Scholars Foundation. Glenn recently agreed to direct $80,000 of a restricted donation in support of the Missouri Youth Caddie Development Program and plans to provide additional financial support for the program. Both Jack and Jim have been consistent annual Match Play Partners, providing substantial financial support to the Evans Scholars Foundation.
After several years of planning, the 2026 BMW Championship is nearly here. Construction is ramping up around the course, with crews building the facilities that make up the ‘Outside the Ropes’ portion of the Championship to accommodate the fans and guests who will join us. The course itself, ‘Inside the Ropes,’ is in very good shape and ready for competition. The first event begins on Saturday, August 15, when Bellerive will host the Evans Scholars Invitational Pro-Am, featuring 24 teams of four playing alongside PGA professionals. All but one of those teams has been spoken for, and we expect the final spot to be purchased soon. All proceeds from that event will go directly to the Evans Scholars Foundation. The Championship will be contested from August 20-23. All signs point to a great event. Hospitality sites are completely sold out. A few premium ticket options remain available. General admission tickets have been moving at a record pace, with our first day of sales surpassing any first day ticket release in the Championship’s history. All 2,100 volunteer slots have been filled. As always, our St. Louis community has stepped up in a big way to support this event. Media interest continues to be high, with particular interest in the beneficiary of the event, the Evans Scholars Foundation. Having Evans Scholarship recipients speak with the media has underscored the impact this Championship will have. All of us here at Bellerive, along with our Western Golf Association partners, the PGA TOUR and BMW, are united in our approach and expectations for a superb BMW Championship that will bring significant benefit to the St. Louis region and the Evans Scholars Foundation. 16 BMW Championship Impact on the Evans Scholars Foundation. Penultimate event of the PGA TOUR FedExCup Playoffs; all proceeds benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation. Since 2007, the BMW Championship has contributed more than $63 million to fund caddie scholarships, including support for Evans Scholars at the University of Missouri.
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