The Western Golf Association (WGA) hosted its 14th annual Green Coat Gala on Friday, November 7, presented by Peter Millar, raising more than $1.2 million to 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 benefit the Evans Scholarship, a prestigious housing and tuition 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 caddying profession has come,” says Mackay. “I’m just in awe of 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 discussed their caddy careers, memorable moments and how the caddy-golfer partnership has evolved.
The evening also included the induction of Evans Scholar alumnus and businessman Frank Polizzi into the Caddy Hall of Fame, recognizing his use of caddies as a springboard to professional success and his dedication to supporting youth caddies.
A native of Chicago, Polizzi caddyed at Oak Park Country Club in River Grove, Illinois, and earned the Evans Scholarship at the University of Illinois. He is the founder of Mass Marketing Insurance Group. A longtime advocate of youth caddying, Polizzi has funded the Eastern Caddy Academy since its founding in 2018 and devoted significant time and resources to supporting 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 attending Evans Scholar Lilly Varner. She recently graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in political science. Varner caddyed at Rose City Golf Course in Portland as part of the EAGLE Caddy program. She shared the story of her family’s experiences with housing market instability and how caddying and the Evans Scholarship set her on a new path.
“Caddying opened the door to a new community that I didn’t know I needed,” Varner said. “School distracted me from the reality of being homeless, but the golf course not only gave me a way to make money to lighten my mother’s burden, but also hope and excitement for the future. I am forever grateful to my Evans community for providing 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 amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr.
“For deserving caddies across the country like Lilly, the opportunities a college education can provide are more important than ever,” said WGA President Steve Colnitis. “Thanks to 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 co-chairs of the 2025 Green Coat Gala event were Tim and Stacey Cavanagh, Mike and Sharyl Mackey, Terry and Eileen McCann, and Mick and Karen O’Rourke.
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