+++ New Scholarship House at the University of Maryland in College
Park provides space for 38 scholars +++ All proceeds from the BMW
Championship benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation +++ Support has
exceeded $60 million since 2007 +++ BMW Chief People and Places
Officer Ilka Horstmeier: “Sports and education are the foundation for
equal opportunities and social participation” +++
College Park. This week, the BMW Championship is
taking place at the Caves Valley Golf Club (Owings Mills, Maryland,
USA). As the penultimate playoff tournament of the PGA TOUR, featuring
the top 50 players in the season standings (FedExCup), it is one of
the most prestigious golf events worldwide. Beyond the competitive
battle for the coveted title and qualification for the season final,
the BMW Championship focuses on its commitment to education. All
profits from the tournament benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation
(ESF) of the event organizer, Western Golf Association (WGA). Since
the inaugural BMW Championship in 2007, the tournament has raised more
than $60 million and helped award more than 4,000 full tuition and
housing college scholarships for caddies.
The commitment of the ESF and the support provided by the BMW
Championship are life-changing for the scholars who would otherwise be
unable to afford a college education. At the University of Maryland in
College Park, just north of the U.S. capital Washington, up to 38
additional young caddies will have the opportunity to study and live
on campus free of charge. At the start of BMW Championship week, the
WGA, in the presence of Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of
Management of BMW AG, People and Places, along with other special
guests, Maryland Evans Scholars and their families, inaugurated the
new “Caves Valley Golf Club Evans Scholarship House”.
“The BMW Group believes that sports and education form the foundation
for equal opportunities and social participation – and the Evans
Scholars Foundation is a marvelous initiative working precisely in
this direction,” said Ilka Horstmeier. “The empowering force of
education is the key to a self-determined future. We are proud of our
longstanding partnership with the Western Golf Association, and of the
great impact that the BMW Championship makes in the lives of so many
young scholars.”
The 10,000-square-foot Scholarship House features two levels of space
for studying and recreation. In addition to featuring a
state-of-the-art living and learning environment, the facility has the
capacity to house 38 scholars. The foundation for this project was
laid during the 2021 BMW Championship, which also took place at the
Caves Valley Golf Club. Four years ago, this initiative was brought
into focus, and through the collaboration of all parties involved, it
was successfully realized in such a short time.
“This Scholarship House represents a tremendous opportunity not only
for the 21 Evans Scholars who will attend Maryland this fall, but for
generations of promising caddies to come,” said WGA Chairman Steve
Colnitis. “Today marks the beginning of the next bright chapter for
the Evans Scholars at the University of Maryland.”
This fall, a record 1,260 Evans Scholars will be enrolled at 27
leading universities nationwide. There are more than 12,500 Evans
Scholars Alumni since the Program began in 1930.
The support of the ESF through the BMW Championship is part of the
BMW Group global commitment in golf for equal opportunities. Through
its “Eagles for Education” initiative, the BMW Group supports the Golf
Foundation at the BMW PGA Championship (England) and the Philipp Lahm
Foundation for Sport and Education at the BMW International Open
(Germany). When it comes to its the global amateur tournament series,
the BMW Golf Cup, the BMW Group collaborates with JOBLINGE in Germany
and with UNICEF at the World Final under the “Eagles for Education” initiative.
