The Western Golf Association (WGA) hosted its 14th annual Green Coat Gala presented by Peter Millar on Friday, Nov. 7, raising over $1.2 million to help send deserving caddies to college through the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF).
More than 315 supporters attended the black-tie affair at The Peninsula Chicago. All proceeds support the Evans Scholarship, a prestigious full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies.
The evening featured special guests Jim “Bones” Mackay and John Wood—both longtime PGA TOUR caddies turned broadcasters.
“It’s incredible how far the profession of caddying has come,” said Mackay. “I’m just blown away by what it has done in the lives of thousands of young people through the Western Golf Association. It’s an absolute honor to be here tonight.”
Steve Sands, veteran on-air personality and tower announcer for NBC and Golf Channel, held a fireside chat with Mackay and Wood, where they touched on their caddying careers, memorable moments and how the caddie-golfer partnership has evolved.
The evening also included the induction of Evans Scholar alumnus and business executive Frank Polizzi into the Caddie Hall of Fame, recognizing his use of caddying as a steppingstone to professional success and his dedication to supporting youth caddies.
A native of Chicago, Polizzi caddied at Oak Park Country Club in River Grove, Illinois, and earned the Evans Scholarship to the University of Illinois. He is the founder of Mass Marketing Insurance Group. A longtime supporter of youth caddying, Polizzi has funded the Eastern Caddie Academy since its inception in 2018 and has committed significant time and resources in support of the Evans Scholars Program at the University of Illinois, where the chapter’s two Scholarship Houses are named in his honor.
Guests also heard from featured Evans Scholar Lilly Varner. She recently graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in political science. Varner caddied at Rose City Golf Course in Portland as part of the EAGLE Caddie Program. She shared the story of her family’s experience with housing instability and how caddying and the Evans Scholarship put her on a new path.
“Caddying opened the door to a new community I didn’t realize I needed,” said Varner. “School distracted me from the reality of being homeless, but the golf course gave me not only a way to earn money to take some of the burden off my mom—but also hope and excitement for the future. I am forever grateful to my Evans community for offering the stability and security I needed.”
Currently, a record 1,260 Evans Scholars are enrolled at 27 universities across the country, and more than 12,575 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr.
“For deserving caddies across the country, like Lilly, the opportunities that a college education can provide are more critical than ever,” said WGA Chairman Steve Colnitis. “Because of our generous supporters, the success of this year’s Gala will allow us to reach more young people with the life-changing opportunity of the Evans Scholarship.”
The 2025 Green Coat Gala event co-chairs were Tim and Stacey Cavanagh, Mike and Sharyl Mackey, Terry and Eileen McCann, and Mick and Karen O’Rourke.
