It’s A Cinderella Story
East Grad Payton Brown Heads To CU On Prestigious Chick Evans Scholarship For Golf Caddies
Story and photos by Reid Neureiter
Special to the GPHN
This fall, Park Hill resident and recent Denver East High School graduate Payton Brown made the drive to the University of Colorado on a full-ride sports-related scholarship.
But Brown will not be playing basketball for the Buffs, or football, or any other Division I sport. Brown got his scholarship thanks to his prowess making it easier for others to play their sport: golf.
Since he was 14, Brown has caddied at the Denver Country Club. He initially heard about caddying from a friend as a way to earn money. Little did he know that it would ultimately become an avenue to attend college essentially for free, with full tuition costs and housing covered.
Brown, who lives on 26th and Kearney Street, is a recipient of the Chick Evans Scholarship for Caddies. Born in 1890, Charles “Chick” Evans, was a legendary Chicago golfer in the early decades of the last century, winning the 1916 U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur tournaments.
Not wanting to give up his amateur status, Evans elected to place his golf winnings in an escrow fund to pay for college educations of needy golf caddies. In 1928, Evans convinced the Western Golf Association to oversee his trust fund and in 1930 the first two Evans Scholar caddies matriculated at Northwestern University.
According to the Western Golf Association’s website, currently more than 270 four-year renewable scholarships are awarded annually across the country – meaning nearly 1,000 golf caddies each year are attending college as Evans Scholars. There are 16 participating universities that caddies can attend, mostly in the Midwest and West, including Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Washington, Northwestern, Oregon, and Notre Dame, as well as the University of Colorado.
Most of these participating schools have dedicated Evans Scholarship Houses (owned by the foundation) where the scholars live together during their four years of college. According to Brown, the University of Colorado Evans Scholars House is a “very nice” former fraternity house (purchased after the expulsion of the fraternity) conveniently located near Boulder’s CU campus at the corner of 15th and Broadway.
Evans Scholars are selected based on four criteria: a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character.
Brown described an intimidating final scholarship interview. It was a simulated press conference, with Brown at a podium fielding questions from an audience of nearly 100 members of the Denver Country Club and other Colorado golf clubs that sponsor Evans Scholars.
Brown had worked in advance in mock interviews with his marketing teacher from East High School, Annetta Gallegos, to prepare. But rather than being nervous at the prospect of addressing a group of wealthy and powerful country club members, Brown says he felt energized after the 15-minute interview. And yes, he clearly aced it.
“It really was an indescribable experience. All of a sudden, I recognized that I had done well and my confidence surged,” he said.
Brown had also strengthened his caddy record by frequently carrying bags for two clients during a single round (with each round called a “loop”). The caddies refer to carrying twice the normal load as “double-bagging.” Brown explained that double-bagging “is usually reserved for older caddies, the ones with more experience and strength.” Brown began carrying two bags at age 16. On the books, it counts as two loops, which means Brown can increase his loop count in just one round while also making double the money. In the summer of 2017, Brown looped nearly 70 times.
Brown will study economics at CU, but he already has a head start in making good financial decisions, having worked hard for several years to be rewarded with the caddy scholarship.
“I’m excited to study something I’m interested in, and excited to go to school at the University of Colorado,” he said. “I couldn’t ask more than what I’ve been given and couldn’t give enough thanks to all the people who helped make my goal into a reality.”