The BMW Championship is not only one of the most prestigious and competitive tournaments on the PGA TOUR. The playoff event, which is taking place this week at Castle Pines Golf Club (Denver, Colorado), is also the largest fundraising event for the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF) run by tournament organiser Western Golf Association (WGA). The ESF awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to deserving young caddies across the nation who have excellent academic achievements but do not have the financial means to afford a college education. The ESF covers the tuition fees and accommodation costs in the “Evans Scholarship Houses”. Since 2007, the BMW Championship has raised more than $50 million in support of the Evans Scholars Foundation, helping over 3,300 students to attend college and follow their dreams.

During the BMW Championship, Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, People and Places, visited the University of Colorado Evans Scholarship House in Boulder, Colorado.

“I was very pleased to meet some of the Evans Scholars and talk with them about their goals and ambitions,” said Ilka Horstmeier. “The values of the ESF – excellence, respect, leadership, and community – align with those of the BMW Group, and we are proud to support this great initiative with the BMW Championship. Education is the key to a self-determined future for young people and an important pillar for the cohesion of our society.”

Currently, 55 Evans Scholars attend the University of Colorado, and there are 548 Evans Alumni who have graduated from the chapter since it was established in 1967. “We are grateful for the unwavering support of our partner BMW Group in helping us to send deserving caddies to college,” said John Kaczkowski, President and CEO of the Western Golf Association, which oversees the ESF. “Together, we have been making a huge impact on the lives of so many young students from across the state of Colorado – and across the country – since our partnership began in 2007.”

In addition to all proceeds from the BMW Championship, the pros can also support the work of the ESF with the perfect shot. The BMW Group will once again contribute an additional full four-year Evans Scholarship worth 125,000 US dollars in the name of the first PGA TOUR player to record a hole-in-one on any hole during tournament play this week. This has so far happened six times in the history of the BMW Championship. The 50 world-class players competing for victory at Castle Pines Golf Club still have two rounds left to secure another scholarship. Even if this does not happen, after the last putt on Sunday, it will once again be clear that while at the BMW Championship, one player wins, thousands of caddies do, too.