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Anything
but an Amateur |
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By
John Egnot
Manager of Media Relations
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Chick
Evans |
In the history of golf, Bobby Jones is typically referred to
as the greatest amateur player who ever lived. And who can argue?
Jones captured 13 significant tournament titles in just 20 tries
during an eight-year stretch between 1923 and 1930.
Sure,
Jones may be and probably is the greatest amateur of all time.
However, before Jones started his impressive streak, a young
man from the north side of Chicago named Charles "Chick"
Evans, Jr., was already making a name for himself and staking
his claim to the title of greatest amateur ever.
Chick Evans was born July 18, 1890, and quickly picked up golf
during his childhood. Beginning in 1907, Evans started an incredible
streak of playing in 49 consecutive U.S. Amateurs, with his
run finally ending in 1962. During this time, Evans established
an impressive resume that ranks among golf’s all-time
greats and to this day holds the record for most U.S. Amateur
matches won with 57.
Evans is best known for becoming the first man in history to
win the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur in the same year (1916).
With just seven clubs in his bag, Evans went wire-to-wire at
the 1916 Open, setting a 72-hole scoring record (286) that would
stand for the next 20 years. Ironically, Bobby Jones is the
only other player to record these two prestigious titles in
the same year when he did it in 1930.
Evans would go on to win another U.S. Amateur in 1920. His record
also included wins at eight Western Amateurs, the Western Open,
the North and South Amateur and the French Amateur. The only
aspect of the game that may have prohibited Evans from winning
even more titles was a shaky putting stroke that failed him
from time to time.
Even with all of these tremendous accomplishments, Evans was
sometimes frustrated, believing that his achievements were never
recognized as much as they should have been. Evans resented
players like Francis Ouimet and Jerome Travers because they
won the U.S. Open as amateurs before him. Later in his career,
Evans’ triumphs were forgotten somewhat due to the incredible
run made by Bobby Jones.
Evans had what could be considered some unorthodox views pertaining
to his game. He once said that, “I made a rule never to
swing a golf club except to hit a golf ball, for I had learned
that one could swing beautifully when the ball wasn’t
there, and poorly when it was.” He also believed that
one should never “practice” on the golf course itself.
Perhaps Evans ongoing legacy is most personified in his establishment
of the Evans Scholars Foundation. After winning the Open and
the Amateur in 1916, Evans was offered $5,000 to make audio
recordings of golf instruction. He would instead end up using
the money to establish a golf scholarship fund for caddies.
Since the fund was established 75 years ago, 7,600 scholarships
have been awarded to caddies who have met high academic requirements
and showed a need for financial aid.
A caddie at Edgewater Golf Club on Chicago’s North Side
during childhood, Chick Evans’ grit and hard work paved
the way for one of the most successful and enduring golf careers
in the history of the game. Evans passed away in 1979 at age
89.
A famous player once said of Evans that, “Chick is one
of the games and best competitive golfers the world ever saw.”
Ironically, after being defeated by Evans in match play competition,
this lasting quote was uttered by one Bobby Jones. |
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