Naperville, Ill. (April 6, 2021) – The Western Golf Association recently awarded its prestigious Evans Scholarship to Naperville Country Club caddie Chris Goff, a senior at Naperville North High School. The Evans Scholarship is a four-year, full-tuition, and housing scholarship awarded to deserving caddies that meets the criteria of academic excellence, caddie record, leadership and character, and financial need.
Goff has decided to attend The Ohio State University, where he will be majoring in computer engineering. An avid hockey player, Goff has caddied at Naperville Country Club for three years rising to Honor Caddie this past season, while totaling an impressive 160 rounds caddied over that time. He is the son of Matt and Lynn Goff of Naperville and has three siblings.
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“The Evans Scholarship is absolutely life changing to me and my family,” said Goff. “With my mother having battled cancer and not being able to work during that time, and my father trying to start up his own business, our financial situation when it comes to college is very difficult. Without the Evans Scholarship, there is no way I would be able to go to a top engineering school like Ohio State and pursue my dream of becoming a computer engineer.”
Goff is the eighth Naperville Country Club caddie to receive the Evans Scholarship in the last decade. Audrey Cahill, a sophomore at Miami of Ohio, and Justin Griffith, a sophomore at Northwestern, are two of the most recent.
“We sincerely congratulate Chris and his family on this tremendous accomplishment and we wish him great success in his college experience,” said Naperville Country Club General Manager Brad McMillan. “We look forward to seeing him on the course this summer before he heads off to college.”
The Evans Scholars Foundation was founded in 1930 by the Western Golf Association and Charles “Chick” Evans Jr., one of the most celebrated amateur golfers of all time. Since then, more than 11,000 men and women have graduated as Evans Scholars. Currently, over 1,000 students are enrolled at 19 universities across the nation, including 16 where the Evans Scholars Foundation owns and operates Scholarship Houses. The need for the Evans Scholarship continues to grow as college tuitions are on the rise, and the Foundation is receiving record numbers of Scholarship applications. Today, more than 26,000 Par Club donors nationwide support the Evans Scholars Foundation. The Foundation also is the sole beneficiary of the BMW Championship, a PGA TOUR Playoff event conducted annually by the Western Golf Association. In 2020, Naperville Country Club member contributions to the Par Club totaled more than $60,000. To learn more about the Evans Scholarship, please visit www.wgaesf.org.
Naperville Country Club is a private, member-owned club, managed by Troon Privé, the private club operations division of Troon. In addition to award-winning golf, Naperville Country Club provides a full array of dining, social and special event programming for the entire family. The club’s patio and restaurant are popular with members providing a place to relax and unwind, and have the best view in town. For more information on Naperville Country Club, visit www.napervillecc.org.
About Naperville Country Club
Naperville Country Club was founded in 1921 and originally featured a 9-hole golf course with sand greens. Shortly after opening, golf course architect Tom Bendelow was engaged to design and build an 18-hole golf course on the 124-acre property. Bendelow's original layout remained mostly intact until 2006 when architect Steve Forrest of Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest & Associates was commissioned to complete a major course renovation. Emphasis was placed on adding length to the golf course, improving shot values and developing new green complexes. The new Steve Forrest-designed course debuted in July 2007 and winds its way through rolling terrain, mature trees and ponds. The course has earned several national honors, including being named Golf Inc. magazine’s 2009 “Renovation of the Year” for private clubs.
About Troon
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf management company providing services at 585-plus locations around the globe, including managing 630-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages more than 620-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. With properties located in 45-plus states and 30-plus countries, Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Honours Golf, OB Sports, Indigo Golf Partners, CADDIEMASTER, True Club Solutions, Cliff Drysdale Tennis and RealFood Hospitality, Strategy and Design. Troon-affiliated properties include Princeville Makai Golf Club on Kauai; Champion Hills in Hendersonville, North Carolina; Ocean Club in Paradise Island, Bahamas; and Vattanac Golf Resort in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com.
Media Contact:
Rob Myers
Troon
480.477.0506