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| Chick Evans | |
|---|---|
| Name | Charles "Chick" Evans Jr. |
| Fullname | Charles Edgar Evans Jr. |
| Nickname | "Chick" |
| Birth date | November 20, 1890 |
| Birth place | Evanston, Illinois, United States |
| Death date | November 27, 1979 |
| Death place | Naples, Florida, United States |
| Status | Amateur |
| Masters | DNP |
| Usopen | T31: 1923 |
| Open | DNP |
| Pga | DNP |
Chick Evans was an American amateur golfer and influential golf administrator whose competitive success and philanthropic initiatives shaped early 20th-century golf in the United States. He is best known for winning both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur in the same year and for founding the Evans Scholars program supporting caddies' college education. Evans competed against leading professionals and amateurs of his era while later working with organizations to expand opportunities for young players.
Born in Evanston, Illinois, Evans grew up near the Chicago metropolitan area's burgeoning golf community, learning the game at local clubs such as Skokie Country Club and practicing on municipal courses. As a teenager he demonstrated aptitude competing in regional events organized by the Western Golf Association and facing contemporaries from clubs across Illinois and the Midwest United States. Evans quickly earned recognition for his consistency and temperament, entering national championships overseen by the United States Golf Association and matching skills with established amateurs from clubs in New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia.
Evans attended Northwestern University, where he represented the school in intercollegiate competitions against programs such as Harvard University and Stanford University; he remained an amateur throughout his career and declined offers to turn professional. Competing in tournaments staged by the PGA of America and national open events, Evans measured himself against professionals including Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, and Bobby Jones. He played in multiple editions of the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur while balancing club obligations at venues in Chicago, Lake Forest, and later at winter residences in Florida against competitors from Miami and Palm Beach.
In 1916 Evans achieved the rare double of winning both the U.S. Open at Minneapolis and the U.S. Amateur in the same season, joining an elite list of champions and entering record books kept by the United States Golf Association. His U.S. Open victory required navigating a field that included stars from the British Isles and top American professionals, while his U.S. Amateur triumph involved match-play rounds against notable amateurs from California, Maryland, and the South. Evans also claimed titles in regional championships run by the Western Golf Association and prevailed in invitational events that featured matchups with figures like Francis Ouimet and Jim Barnes.
Beyond competition, Evans worked with entities such as the Western Golf Association to promote youth access to golf and caddie programs at municipal courses in cities including Chicago and St. Louis. He founded the Evans Scholars program in partnership with the Western Golf Association to provide scholarship support for caddies attending institutions like Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, and University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. His advocacy intersected with leaders from philanthropic bodies and educational institutions, influencing policies at clubs such as Skokie Country Club and municipal systems in Cook County. Evans also contributed instruction and published insights in periodicals of the era, engaging with editors at The Chicago Tribune and golf journals that covered techniques used by players like Harry Vardon and James Braid.
Evans married and maintained residences in the Chicago area and in winter at Naples, Florida, associating socially with members of clubs in Lake Worth and Palm Beach Gardens. He received honors from the Western Golf Association and was later inducted into halls commemorating historic players alongside figures such as Bobby Jones and Gene Sarazen. Municipalities and institutions recognized his philanthropic contributions to higher education through scholarship programs linked to caddie traditions at courses in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.
Evans died in Naples, Florida in 1979. Posthumously his legacy persisted through the Evans Scholars Foundation, which expanded scholarships for thousands of caddies attending universities across the United States and maintained residential colleges near campuses including Northwestern University and University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. Historical accounts in publications by the United States Golf Association and retrospectives in outlets such as Golf Digest and regional newspapers have chronicled his dual championship year and philanthropic impact, ensuring his place in American golf history. Category:American male golfers