More than 300 supporters attend WGA's black-tie affair in downtown Chicago

GLENVIEW, Ill. — The Western Golf Association (WGA) hosted its 13th annual Green Coat Gala presented by Peter Millar on Friday, Nov. 1, raising over $1.2 million to help send deserving caddies to college through the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF).

More than 300 supporters attended the black-tie affair at The Peninsula Chicago and virtually via livestream. All proceeds support the Evans Scholarship, a prestigious full tuition and housing college grant offered to golf caddies.

This year’s Gala celebrated the 125th anniversary of the WGA and featured special guests Scott Verplank, Trevor Immelman and Michael Thorbjornsen – all past WGA champions.

“To be able to be in a room like this where people all love the game of golf, they love the Western Golf Association and are willing to give back to the sport for the benefit of the next generation, I’m so proud to be a part of that and so thankful,” said Immelman. “When you start to understand all these little threads and commonalities that all of us share through the sport, it’s magnificent.”

Steve Sands, lead interviewer for NBC’s golf coverage, emceed the event and held a fireside chat with Verplank, Immelman and Thorbjornsen, where they touched on the trio’s careers, the impact of WGA championships in amateur and professional golf, and changes in the golf landscape over the past four decades.

Guests also heard from featured Evans Scholar James Labukas, a freshman studying mechanical engineering at Northwestern University. Labukas caddied at Tucson Country Club in Arizona and is the first caddie from the club to be awarded the Evans Scholarship in more than 40 years. He shared the story of how golf provided refuge during a difficult period for this family, and how the Evans Scholarship has changed their lives.

“After all the setbacks my family experienced, becoming an Evans Scholar is one of the biggest honors of my life,” said Labukas. “Thank you to everyone here tonight for your support of youth caddies – for inspiring and motivating us, and for giving us hope for the future.”

Currently, a record 1,190 Evans Scholars are enrolled at 24 universities across the country, and more than 12,280 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr.

“At a time when providing opportunities for higher education is more crucial than ever, we continue to use our voice in golf to serve the young people who will be its future,” said WGA Chairman Steve Colnitis. “Thanks to our generous supporters, the tremendous success of this year’s Gala will provide more life-changing experiences for young caddies, like James, nationwide.”

The 2024 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.