2 0 0 7 - 0 8 W G A P A R C L U B - Evans Scholars Foundation

WGA PAR CLUB
What: 2008 Caddie
Classic
When: Monday, July 28
Where: Hyde Park Golf
& Country Club
Info: 8 a.m. & 1 p.m.
shotguns
At the second annual
Caddie Classic in 1988,
event founder Tim
Proud (left) presents
WGA Director Ells
Widerman with a check
for $3,000.
The 2007 Caddie Classic
Committee (below)
celebrates the event’s
$200,000 donation to
the Evans Scholars.
22
www.westerngolfassociation.com
Scholarship Fundraisers
Caddie Classic: 20 Years, $1 Million
When Evans Scholars Alumnus Tim
Proud launched the Caddie Classic in
1987, a small group of Alumni took
part in what was billed as an outing where Ohio
Evans Alumni could come together, share caddie
and Scholar stories and raise a few dollars for the
Evans Scholarships in Ohio.
Today, an Alumni Committee still runs the
Caddie Classic, but the base of participants has
expanded to include nearly 200 Western Golf
Association Par Club members from the Cincinnati-Dayton
region.
“This tournament has
blossomed into an event
that gives phenomenal
exposure to the Evans
Scholars Program and has
raised a lot of money, so
we’re very happy with the
way it has grown,” said
Joe Desch, a 1984 Evans
Scholar graduate of Miami
University and Caddie
Classic Committee chairman.
In 2007, two pivotal milestones were reached.
Proceeds reached $200,000, pushing total contributions
from the Caddie Classic for the Evans
Scholars to more than $1 million. Also, for the
first time in its 20-year history, the traditionally
Cincinnati-based tournament was held in Dayton,
at Moraine Country Club.
For Desch and Classic Committee members,
the results have justified the long hours of preparation
that make the Classic one of the premier
Evans Scholars fund-raising events nationally.
Alumnus Tom Binzer (Miami ’79), who, like
Desch, is a WGA director, has served on the committee
since the Classic’s inception. He views the
event as one of two pillars in building awareness
for the Evans Scholars in Cincinnati-Dayton.
“In addition to our annual Evans Scholars Selection
meeting, the Classic serves as a focal point
of the year, a time when we can introduce people
to the Evans Scholars Program, encourage their
support and raise awareness of all phases of what
we represent – caddies, club support, director efforts
and Alumni involvement,” said Binzer.
Binzer credits Proud (OSU ’79) with having
the foresight to found the event in 1987. “Without
Tim’s vision and direction, we wouldn’t have
the Caddie Classic,” Binzer stressed.
The event’s successful evolution into a focal
point for the Evans Scholars Program has led to
its emulation.
“Our event has served as a model for Alumni
elsewhere. An early committee member, Kevin
Donnellon (OSU ’78), moved to Chicago and
helped start the Evans Scholars Invitational
there,” noted Binzer. “There’s a lot of interaction
back and forth between Alumni and directors
on how to make all of our events better.”
For Desch, an added plus for the Caddie Classic
was a decision to rotate the event among clubs
that support caddies and the Evans Scholars.
“We get incredible cooperation from all of the
clubs with caddie programs,” he said. “With the
generosity of clubs donating their facilities for
the day, our ability to raise money for the Evans
Scholarships has grown tremendously.”
Another valuable component is the participation
of honor caddies, including top Evans
Scholars, from the greater Cincinnati area.
“Of the 220 players participating, we average
190-200 who use caddies,” Desch pointed out.
“Having caddies from all of the clubs helps promote
caddie programs and is probably one of the
most enjoyable parts of the day.”
Corporate sponsors have boosted the tournament’s
revenue in recent years. Key Bank has
served as the major sponsor, thanks to committee
member Rick Wirthlin – an Alumnus (OSU
’84), WGA Director and former president of Key
Bank in Cincinnati.
Binzer, the only committee member to have
served for all 20 years since the Caddie Classic
began, said the event has succeeded beyond expectations.
“It’s been a great grassroots success, a way to
build the program and a way for Alumni to get
involved in giving back,” Binzer stated. “And it’s
a lot of fun.”