Here’s a preview of the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2025 NV5 Invitational from The Glen Club in Glenview, Illinois. Golf360 TV show host Dan Roan serves as MC talking with former Korn Ferry Star Matt McCarty, who’s now a PGA Tour star. Additional special guests from the Western Golf Association, as well as an appearance from an Illinois Evans Scholar. Golf’s rising stars will compete for a spot on the PGA TOUR this July. Thanks to the BIG TEN Network, fans can enjoy complimentary admission!
good morning everybody We’re going to go ahead and get started If I can have everybody make their way to the front of the room Make sure you get my good side It’s dicey It’s dicey Good morning everyone Uh welcome to the Glen Club for an exclusive preview of the 2025 NV5 Invitational Uh I’m Chris Montago I’m the Western Golf Association Tournament Director for the event Uh really appreciate you joining us today uh to take a look inside one of the premier events on the Cornferry Tour In just a few short years the NV5 Invitational uh has helped launch the career of PGA Tour players like Cam Young who was in the mix yesterday up in Canada Uh Harry Hall who is now a winner on the PGA Tour Thomas Rosen Mueller in his first year on the PGA Tour as well as world number one and recent PGA champion uh Scotty Shuffler Some are saying not me some are saying that without his win here in 2019 that he would not be where he is today Not me Uh we have a ton of exciting news to cover today uh before we kick off lunch and golf But I’d like to introduce uh Dan Rowan uh who’s going to help us welcome uh one of those rising stars today Uh a native of Kikak Iowa You know Dan as a respected weekday sports anchor and WGN evening news and instant replay shows Uh he won multiple Emmys during his standout career in journalism that saw him cover the Bulls Cubs White Socks Blackhawks in Notre Dame football and more these days He’s co-hosting uh Golf 360 TV show uh on the Marquee Network So I’d like to welcome up Dan Ran Thanks Okay nice to see everybody today Um is Matt with us right now I can’t see him Uh I can hear you Hey Hello Matt McCarti How’s it going Dan Rowan It’s nice to uh have you with us today Congratulations first of all on a great week up in Toronto a T4 yesterday and a pretty good chance to to come home with a trophy there down the stretch Yeah it was uh really fun to be in the mix and uh you know nice to get some confidence heading into the US Open at Oakmont this week So it was awesome Fun week I bet it was Um and it’s always nice to welcome in a native Chicagoan or I shouldn’t say native but a Chicagoan Uh tell us how you wound up living in Chicago Yeah my uh my girlfriend has been going to PA school at Northwestern uh for the last couple years So um you know started spending a lot of time up there because of her and now you know basically spending more time there than where I grew up in Scottsdale now um just kind of you know both of us fell in love with the city and you know the golf up there and everybody’s been very welcoming and nice to get out of the Arizona heat in the summers and you know fall golf and you know Chicago’s awesome and you know nice to actually experience some seasons for you know the first half of my life That’s good Well we’ve got plenty of them although we are a little late with summer so far here Um have you found a place to practice and play yet Yeah I’ve been uh been pretty lucky over the last couple years I initially got hooked up at Flossmore down south and then now just recently this year Uh Rodney at Butler has been really nice to me So I’ve been playing and practicing out there now So uh got a couple good buddies at Madina as well So the community’s kind of you know brought me in pretty well But uh yeah I’ve been lucky enough to you know have that you know place to play and practice at Butler now And it’s awesome Yeah that’s good Uh everybody wants to have a big star on their property right I mean your story is pretty incredible Uh what you did last year first on the corn ferry tour this guy won three times in six weeks got the automatic bump up to the PGA Tour and third event out he wins on the big tour I mean can you tell us what if if there was a switch flipped or what happened to to turn you around like that I mean not really one specific thing I mean just kind of you know it was my third year out there on the corn ferry last year and you know was really close to getting my card the year before my second year out and uh just a lot of you know learning experiences like that first year you know I was kind of you know worried about making cuts and just kind of making the weekend and then the second year you know kind of found myself in contention a couple times but most of my tournaments were kind of you know backdoor good finishes on Sunday and uh last year you know was able to kind of put myself in the mix you know going into Saturday and Sunday a lot and uh you know was able to you know kind of pull through some of those in the summer but you know just kind of that whole experience of you know being on the corn ferry for a couple years and learning how to travel and play 26 events and be on the road and everything that comes with that of managing your time taking care of your body you know it kind of just builds up and you know you become more of a professional I would say So um yeah it was it was cool to see you know obviously all that hard work pay off and you know to kind of that success I had on the corn ferry to the PGA tour and win you know at Black Desert you know my second tournament out in the fall was also you know great but kind of shows you know how similar that level of golf is on the corn ferry and out here as well So um you know good golf translates pretty well no matter you know what tour it’s on And um you know it’s really cool to you know see all those guys that I’ve played with and have success this year and still follow along you know really closely So really excited You know I I was at three years and you know always was a great uh event That was actually my first year out my girlfriend came up and she was looking at schools and she came to that week and we spent the week in Chicago and she really liked it and Northwestern I think kind of flew up her list of places she wanted to go and when she got in it was kind of like a no-brainer So um really cool like you know kind of you know special event I guess for me and my development as well So uh it’s awesome That’s great stuff tell us um what you thought of the Glen Club when you played it and what kind of a venue is it for the guys that play on the corn ferry Yeah I mean it’s great It’s always probably you know one of the best shape courses we play all year just in terms of the conditions and everything Really pure you know rough’s kind of up and greens are great Um but you know it’s a good you know I think my first year out there I didn’t really realize how guys were going to shoot you know as low as they do And it doesn’t seem that easy but um you know kind of growing growing the last couple years I was able to play pretty well out there last year and kind of get myself in the mix going into Sunday But um yeah it’s great It’s just a good test right in front of you Um you got to take advantage of the par fives You know that course doesn’t really hand you many birdies Par threes are difficult and uh you know you can kind of get after the par fives but I would say that’s probably the biggest way you know to do it and you know if you get the putter hot out there with the greens as pure as they are you can really get it rolling and make some birdies Is it fair to say that that’s one of the differences between the cornfairy tour and the PGA tour is that I mean on cornfair you’re trying to birdie every single hole and maybe it’s not quite the same way on the big tour Yeah Like uh last year I got really good at you know shooting six seven eight under and uh you know early in the year this year I had to remind myself it was okay to make three or four pars in a row again um you know maybe the courses are you know a little longer a little bit more demanding off the tea but uh out here but um you know that preparation of you know learning how to go low and you know make a lot of birdies and be very comfortable at you know 15 to 20 under par is you know something that’s very valuable as well too So um yeah that that that is definitely kind of a difference from you know last year to this year for sure Well as you know we’re all about the caddies here uh the Evans Scholars Foundation and your story with your caddy is one of the really good ones Can you tell us uh about your caddy and how that relationship came about Yeah Uh my caddy Dev Doss he was uh we we were college teammates at Santa Clara and um I ended up taking the fifth year for CO So he was actually working you know had like a sales job for a year right out of school But uh you know I made it through Q school and we were kind of texting the group chat with our buddies He’s like you know I kind of want to do something else And I’m like well you know if I get my card I’m going to need a need a guy And I’d rather have it be you know a buddy somebody that knows my game rather than someone that you know quote unquote kind of just knows the courses And I think that that relationship was really valuable And you know the first two events being in the Bahamas uh getting started wasn’t too hard to convince him So uh I was lucky in that aspect But uh yeah you know he just kind of you know jumped all in with me and you know said he was gonna give it two months and now it’s you know we’re in our fourth year together and haven’t looked back And um it’s been awesome to kind of start with him at that stage as well And for both of us you know to grow together and learn a lot and you know play um you know just learn a lot about playing tournament golf against you know very elite competition and you know him as a caddy has grown a lot as well But to have that success that we had you know last year and you know as well as kind of recently together this year as well to have that together is you know something very special and you know it’s nice to kind of have a good buddy on the bag and keep it light off the course and you know enjoy traveling around and going to dinners and hanging out with buddies and stuff So um it’s nice just to kind of keep it light and uh you know have make traveling you know feel a little bit more fun than you know just kind of hotel rooms and going to the golf course coming back and hanging out by yourself So it’s it’s been great but really special relationship we’ve kind of developed the last few years for sure Yeah that’s that’s so cool And I you know you’re never going to get rid of him the way you’re going now No Yeah I uh yeah I think he’s uh he’s pretty locked in So he hasn’t he hasn’t made too many mistakes though either So he’s he’s doing well as well Uh good teammate that’s for sure Um so I’m assuming you’re in the airport now or in a car or something Yeah I’m on the road Hopefully I’m not shaking around too much but uh yeah heading heading to the airport and you know flying down to Oakmont uh in about an hour and a half So uh it’ll be great So if you shoot 16 under this week at Oakmont you think you’ll win Yeah Yeah I uh went out there about a month ago um before the PGA and Yeah I think if I shoot 16 under I think I’d have a pretty comfortable uh lead with a few holes to go Um I think anything around even would be uh you know pretty good feet uh this week That place is uh pretty nasty But uh you know I think this last week in Toronto you know obviously not as difficult but with the rough being thick and kind of priority on driving the golf ball I think it was a good prep and it was nice to uh go out there a month to go to Oakmont kind of get familiar with the golf course and the property and um you know be able to kind of take it a little easier this week and next couple days of prep will feel a little bit more simple But that was something that I did um going into the Masters for Augusta was take a trip out there before and it just kind of you know makes the major week feel a little bit more manageable I would say So that was nice and glad I was able to do that for this week leading into it Yeah that’s good stuff I mean I’m not going to say anybody’s game is built for Oakmont but I mean you’re a straight hitter so in that regard the more fairways you hit the better chance you’re is the better chance you have Yeah exactly Um I actually felt pretty good I feel like I’m not one of the longer guys but um you know you hit it about 300 310 in Oakmont That’s kind of the widest of most fairways So I felt pretty comfortable around that place But yeah yeah definitely accuracy off the tea and using that to my advantage this week will be be very important So looking forward to it Guarantee you nobody in this room knows what you’re talking about when you say 310 down the middle Hey I want to ask you one more thing before we let you go And that would be um in a minute we’re going to have one of the caddies come up uh and talk to us about her experience uh with the Evans Scholars What’s it feel like for you to be a part of all that having played here and and helped out a little bit Yeah it was awesome I mean every year in the pros just having you know the kids out cadding um you know for the AMS but as well as us and just seeing them and hearing their stories and how excited they were you know for what’s to come for them with the school and everything and the opportunities that you know Evans Scholars has afforded has afforded them Um but I think that’s just like you know the epitome of kind of Chicago golf honestly And that area of the community up there is just so great And the support um that they have for kids and to help you know get them you know to have a lot of opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise But you know they were great and would ask us good questions and be very interested and kind of you know whether it was with their own game or kind of even talking to Dev and learning how to you know get better at catting too It was it was it was just really cool to see and um really cool like part of that week that is very unique to that event for sure All right great stuff Hey we have a room full of people and someone would like to ask you a question or two So if you can stay with us for a minute or so more Uh anybody out there Well gee I guess we covered the whole thing then Hey Matt thanks a million for taking time We appreciate it Uh again congratulations on this week and the start to your career and uh the best of luck at Oakmont Keep it in the fairway over there Yeah thank you very much And uh thank you to all the you know WGA and Vince and everybody does for you know the game of golf in general but also in Chicago It’s been been great to see and looking forward to uh falling along in that event in a month and uh you know happy to not be playing it this year but also at the same time looking forward to falling along So it’s great All right great stuff Matt Thanks so much again and good luck this week at Oakmont Thank you very much [Applause] Get my stool back over here Jeez Dan thanks a lot Uh obviously Matt’s not here anymore but uh what a great interview Um you talk about a guy who flipped a switch We’ve seen it before with Cam Young uh when he won uh back-to-back events here but uh you get you get hot at the right time and it can really uh turn your career around So um I really appreciate the insight there and in the conversation Uh Dan uh so obviously the players in the field like Matt uh really are the next generation of superstars uh on the PGA Tour Um as an organization that runs uh multiple events uh through the course of a player’s career uh we’ve watched many of them compete at the highest stage the Western Junior the Western Amateur and we feel like this event allows them to take the next step towards playing in our PGA Tour event the BMW Championship Uh the NV5 Invitational Uh again in the summer months this year will be played in a pivotal stretch on the corn ferry tour schedule uh where now 20 cards uh are on the line and each shot at the Glen Club could be the difference between earning your card and not Uh I always like to tell the story does anyone remember who Scotty beat in the playoff John Borman Western golf Yeah So Marcel Roso is a guy who’s has a very nice career on the Cornferry tour Never made it to the PGA Tour So if he wins that event probably makes it to the PGA Tour And again we feel like we owe a lot we a little lot to everybody here uh to get Scotty to world number one So it’s very very different uh in in an alternate universe So uh we’re obviously incredibly grateful uh for NV5 our title sponsor uh for their continued partnership Uh we’re going to hear from Paul Braun here shortly uh about our partnership with NV5 Uh so we truly appreciate what you guys do uh in helping uh support education and youth caddies uh and the Evans scholarship Uh we wouldn’t be here today without the Glen Club uh and Keer Sports So I’d also like to thank Steve Skinner and Josh Lesnik for their continued support uh of youth caddies We’re going to hear from Steve uh in just a couple minutes as well Uh I also like to thank uh Joe Titus who’s the general manager here at the Glen Club as well as Adam Wilds So Adam is responsible for taking care of the golf course that you guys are going to play today So we appreciate all you guys do uh in getting this golf course uh in tremendous shape uh for the golf tournament Uh finally I’d just like to thank um the additional staff uh that that are on Joe and Adam’s team and helping us uh put together such a great event and and and allowing us to utilize these uh great facilities as well as the members here at the Glen Club for allowing us to be out here and take over for a week Uh it’s been a perfect setting out here at the Glen Club for this championship and it promises to be uh another entertaining test uh for the incredible field ahead of the tournament here next month Uh so this time I’d like to welcome up Paul Brawn uh senior vice president at NV5 to talk about MV5’s involvement uh in this championship [Applause] Hey everybody Do a little microphone games here Up and down we go Yeah Paul Braun uh is my name I’m with NV5 senior vice president representing our board 5,000 employees all over the world and a whole lot of golfers I can tell you that we got tons of them in the company Um I personally am privileged to be here and representing NV5 U you know we’ve been sponsoring this event for a couple good years now and I’m still reeling from last year I’m actually glad you brought me back after seeing me play last summer I didn’t know if I’d get an invite back but it’s it’s fun to be out there today to feel what it’s like and what these guys are put through in this tournament It’s a tough I was uh talking to our our Evans Scholar Awardy here before the event and I feel a little humbled too professionally meeting these young people who are getting these scholarships and doing incredible things with their degrees Uh it’s a it’s an honor to be supporting the Evans Scholar Institution and and all things that that supports Um you know I have friends I’m a former Chicago resident I’m actually a Wisconsinite so don’t really you know Packer fan Sorry Um Dan you you know we’ll keep that out of the the headlights here but um I’m a former Chicago suburb resident I have some good friends that live here in Glen View I think the the support that a local um city town village provides to one the Glen Club and the long you know tenure that the Glen Club has had here but when people come to see this event the restaurants the support the infrastructure and as as engineers and landscape architects and planners and I’m a geographer you know what we do to help communities thrive we see that live and in action here and that’s what makes these events so good any major event that brings an economic boost uh locally as well as supporting uh the game of golf is really great Um you know and I as I watched the the pros tear this up We’ve got two years in a row with scoring records here What was it minus 25 last year won something like that Um I’m pretty sure I didn’t uh I didn’t see anything close to that last year when we were playing But you know um Keer Sports um and the uh the Glen Club proper for for putting a great event on and the support that it takes to to pull this off Um it’s great to have a a good um partnership there Steve So um look forward to hearing your comments here in a moment Uh and then the Cornferry Tour I’m a I’m a big fan of golf I I might drive my family and friends a little crazy I was at the Amfam Championship this weekend That’s a senior tour that was in Wisconsin And um you know as I’m saying hi to players and just enjoying seeing some of the guys that are as old as me still you know crushing 300 yard drives and then you turn around and you see the players showing up here in the cornfairy tour and you know I I look at all the pros out there now that have come through the tour I saw a play here It’s pretty cool And uh there is that sort of fine line you talk about uh between that win and that loss and what it means And frankly it’s a metaphor for life It’s a metaphor for a professional um as a as a salesperson You know we’re hunting we’re winning we’re losing That’s just that’s just part of things So um you know the 400 plus volunteers that make this place happen um I’ve done the same in a couple tournaments just for my own side it’s a lot of work People give up a lot of time and energy to make this happen And so you know NV5 and our sponsorship is one level but there’s so many other tiers and uh watching what those volunteers do to to pull this off keep us quiet giving us the the quiet signs you know all that kind of stuff serve enough beverages etc So thank you to to all the volunteers there Um you know and golf is really a a lifelong pursuit That’s what I love about the game personally Um you know you can play it till till you’re an old man So um watching the Evans Scholars support as young people and progress into their careers I’ll give you my card by the way If you’re looking for a job in the marketing sector afterwards hit me up Uh it’s hard to recruit staff right You got to work it wherever you can Um you know I look at what we do as an organization right 5,000 plus employees all over the world um designing and building the infrastructure we live in We got lots of smart people We do lots of cool technology with sensors We put planes in the air boats on on water We’re mapping Last year we were and we bring our staff here and our investors the day before the tournament uh occurs and we do an investor briefing And last year we brought one of our 40ft vessels out of Lake Michigan and had it parked in in Chris’s parking lot And you know people are like “What the heck is going on there?” Right But we’re showcasing that what technology is to make business happen and the partnerships that that corporate America brings to to the sporting world which I think is particularly fun And um you know I I know that this this tournament brings a lot of those people together and and mostly you know we we have those investors together then we bring them over here and give them a cold beer and and let them watch golf Last year I don’t know it was like 120 degrees here when the tournament was going on It was blazing hot and the cicas were roaring right Um I was like what is happening So I got out of the car today and I thought okay now this is this is the way it should be So we really look forward to a great event Uh we’re proud to be sponsors Um it’s a meaningful event for all of us and I look forward to some great golf and and thanks again Thanks [Applause] Thanks Paul I appreciate it Uh I thought it was strange he had earplugs in when he walked in today I didn’t really remember why and then I forgot about the cicatas from last year So uh but no we we appreciate all that NV5 does and and has been a a huge partner uh of this event the last few years Uh I’d now like to welcome Steve Skinner uh CEO of Keer Sports uh to talk about the partnership uh we have with the Glen Club and Keer Sports Uh thank you all Thanks all for coming apologize I have a little bit of a cold and uh really proud to welcome uh the NV5 back This is our seventh year in a row hosting uh the event and uh we absolutely love it It actually marks our 25th uh major what we’ll call a major championship professional event hosted at the Glen Club since we opened in uh 2001 So uh we’re excited for you all to see the golf course The spring those of you from Chicago know the spring hasn’t been that great but the golf course is in really good shape It’ll be perfect by July We’ve also finished a bunker project So uh that is completely done I know we we take seriously uh uh the tour comments back each year and bunker is something we needed to they look fine to me but uh better players uh needed So anyway so I think the players you’ll really enjoy that The players uh will really enjoy that So you know we love this event uh for a lot of reasons You see you know it’s creating stars It’s exposing the club It’s it’s exposing the community and and that’s great and we love Scotty Sheffller and the legacy there But I I think most importantly the reason we love this event is our association with the Western Golf Association and the Evans Scholar I mean this really is it it demonstrates what golf can do It’s sometimes it’s cliche when you’re in the business This is almost cliche but when you really sit back and you’ll hear the story today I mean think about what other sport is really giving back to what uh golf is doing what the Evans Scholar program is doing So I think probably what we love most about it is the ability to really change people’s lives Uh really one person at a time one caddy at a time So really shout out to uh everyone from the WGA and the Evans Scholar and the First T and everyone uh involved in golf that’s uh that’s giving back to the game But uh so glad everyone could make it Perfect weather day Uh hope you enjoy the golf course and I know we’ll have a uh great week in July So uh play fast and have fun Probably gonna put those bunkers to good use today So uh Steve thanks so much for being here today Thanks so much for for for speaking with us today but we appreciate the partnership that we have not only with Keer Sports but the Glen Club Uh but um we certainly wouldn’t be here without uh the support we’ve had since 2019 as uh as the host of this event So uh as I mentioned earlier all proceeds from the NV5 Invitational will go to benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation We provide full tuition and housing scholarships for caddies Uh so I’d like to welcome up Mike Brun You guys are in for a treat today because not only is he our WGA tournament chairman he is also solely responsible for the weather today So we’d like to bring him up give an update on Western Golf and the Evans Scholars Foundation what we’re doing nationwide [Applause] It’s not often I get to stand at a microphone and actually lift it up So Tags thank you for that Uh um as chairman of the tournament committee uh it is a privilege obviously but let’s be really really honest uh as a volunteer I truly am just in a position to support those who do all of the work and I think it goes without saying tags you run a heck of a great tournament uh thanks for all that you do and I think it’s uh certainly appropriate to have us all put our hands together for all of the Western Gulf and Evan Scholars folks in the crowd So we’ll give you a little round of applause Paul without your support the rising stars of uh the future of golf would not have as wonderful of a platform as they have here So NV5 uh is a very integral partner with increasing rising stars The logo behind my uh shoulders is also contributing to rising stars In 1930 Chick Evans started the Evans Scholars Foundation And since that time we have now partnered with over 24 universities and this past year gave 1,190 scholarships to students whose lives are being changed And when we talk about the 11 close to,200 kids we’re not just talking about the kids We’re talking about their families their siblings their aunts their uncles their family members and those who like us are privileged to interact with these incredible young men and women And for that that is absolutely the best part of being involved with the Western Golf and Evans Scholars Foundation You’re going to have a great day on the golf course We’re going to see the future stars of the sports uh of golf But the best part about being a part of this championship is related to individuals like I have the privilege of introducing today So let me tell you a little bit about the Evans Scholar who is in our presence and who again uh I have the privilege of introducing Bella Daly is going to be a junior at the University of Illinois She cattied at Oak Park Country Club She is one of seven children She is the fifth Evans Scholar from her family So think about that She’s got a younger brother who talk about pressure He’s going to be applying for the Evans Scholars this summer So uh yeah good luck to him Um Bella uh just changed her major So Paul you’re probably going to be getting a business card from Bella She uh is an advertising major at Oak Park And uh I said “All right Bella what do you like to do You like to forecast or do you like to uh carry the bag?” And she’s like “Well since I usually run about 10 miles every morning 60 miles a week she puts in,” she’s like “I’ll take the bag on my shoulder cuz I already got in my morning run.” So uh what a heck of a pleasure and a privilege it is Please welcome to the stage our wonderful Evans scholar Bella Dailyaly and tags Don’t worry I have to raise the mic for her So now there we go Bella thank you Good afternoon My name is Isabella Daly and I am an Evans scholar at the University of Illinois I recently completed my sophomore year during which I served as the vice president of communications on the Evans executive board In addition to my leadership role I am a student athlete on the women’s cross country and track team and serve as the president of the Catholic Alumni Association I am the sixth of seven children in my family and incredibly proud to be the fifth Daily to have received this generous scholarship My parents have made countless sacrifices and worked tirelessly to ensure my siblings and I could receive the best education possible My mother is a music director and music teacher at our home parish St Vincent Ferrer in River Forest where all seven of us attended grade school My father works in property management and also drives a trolley Coming from a family with five older siblings I often found myself following their footsteps When I turned 13 I was eager to begin cattying and join my four older brothers and sister on the golf course at Oak Park Country Club in River Grove Cattying was an experience like no other It taught me how to communicate effectively become independent manage my time and understand the fundamentals of golf The memories I have made while catting are ones that I will cherish for the rest of my life Whether it was looping together with three of my siblings and watching the surprise reactions from members when they realized we were all related or the generous tip after a long and challenging round These moments will hold a special place in my heart I am constantly applying the skills and lessons I have learned through catting to my daily life Because of this job that is so much more than a job I have grown into adaptable and independent person ready to take on the world I have learned how to hold a conversation with so many different people and also learned so many things about life The Evans Scholarship has given me the opportunity to attend a rigorous and prestigious university When I opened my Evans Scholarship application acceptance letter I was beyond excited I was going to follow my two brothers to the University of Illinois and have my own experiences like the amazing four years they had always spoke so fondly of The early mornings waiting at the shack the long summer loops under the hot sun and the fivemile biker rides to the course had all been worth it I was beyond excited to return to Oak Park Country Club the following year proudly wearing the green smock and representing the Evans Scholarship The Evans Scholarship has given me an opportunity to further my education It has provided me with a meaningful way to give back to my parents who have made so many sacrifices for me As a rising junior I am proud to say that the Evans community has truly become my second home I am incredibly grateful for the friendships I have formed within the Evans Scholarship House and for the opportunity to serve and grow closer to my peers through my role as vice president of communications College has given me the chance to meet so many amazing people strengthen my academic foundation and build a close-knit community within the Evans Scholars network I am majoring in political science with a concentration in public policy and pursuing a minor in business I want to sincerely thank everyone who has been a part of my caddying journey and who has generously supported the Evans Scholarship Foundation I am especially grateful to the members of Oak Park Country Club for helping shape me into the caddy and person I am today I am so honored to call myself an Evans scholar and so blessed to be part of such an incredible community Thank you [Applause] Oh boy How about another round of applause for Bella Thank you for being here and sharing your story Uh what a shining example of the real impact of the scholarship Uh people ask me what I do and I tell them I’m a tournament director for a professional golf event It’s you know I tell people I have one of the coolest jobs in the world but when you do the books at the end of the event and you’re a part of an organization and you can see what the real impact of what we do is it’s it’s that’s the coolest part of my job So thank you for being here Uh before we adjourn we have a little breaking news for you Uh as of this morning general admission to the 2025 NV5 Invitational is going to be complimentary courtesy of a new partnership that we have with our friends from the Big 10 Network Uh so we’re very excited to share this news uh for Chicago area golf fans Uh we’re very grateful uh to the partnership that we have with the Big 10 Network uh to make it easier for our friends in the area to come see the golf tournament So Big 10 Network uh here today So thanks a lot for the partnership So for those media in the audience there is a release of this uh at least partnership in your media kit and fans can visit nv5invitational.com to claim their free grounds admission We also have an upgraded option Our trophy club will be back on the 17th green uh giving o fans an opportunity to have a shaded area along with a beer garden on the 17th green as you watch the pivotal uh third uh par three 17th it’s a closing par three so a great opportunity for people to come out and watch golf there Those uh those tickets are obviously also available at uh at our website We’re also working on some fun opportunities for families to get involved and learn about the game of golf and even hit a few golf shots So we’re bringing back our friends at Discover Golf They’re going to be on site Saturday and Sunday providing junior golf instruction and other golf activities So great opportunity for the kids to come out and hit some shots while they watch the future stars of the PGA Tour Finally just a few reminders uh regarding today and what uh why we’re all here to play a little golf Uh so everyone should have received an email uh with a link to the media kit uh that includes information about the championship week activities and the Evans Scholars Foundation So if you need assistance please contact John Borne Uh our speakers today will be available for interviews immediately following the program Uh lunch is being provided by the Glen Club Beverages at the clubhouse and halfway house will also be available while you’re on the golf course So we’ll have lunch ready here uh just in a few minutes Uh if you haven’t already you can bring your clubs to the backdrop and the staff there will put them on your golf cart Um and then our uh bags will be loaded on the carts before golf and we’ll be waiting for you behind the clubhouse just outside the pro shop Uh the driving range will be open uh for those of you that would like to hit some golf shots before we get started We’re going to have a closest to the whole competition on every par 3 today So uh get tuned up for those And then after golf we’ll have a reception right here in this room and on the back patio where we can have some cocktails and share some war stories from all the birdies we made and how we really got into those bunkers Steve we’ll give you some positive feedback afterwards Uh so we really appreciate all of you being here Uh to our speakers to those of you joined us we appreciate it Uh all of you in the room are a big part of why this event continues to be a success every year So we truly appreciate you all being here Uh enjoy the golf today We look forward to seeing you back here at the Glen Club next month Thanks a lot [Applause] [Music]
