Connor Noone and Jacie Goodman earn full rides to college for caddying talents and giving back in Gardens

PALM BEACH GARDENS — Caddies Connor Noone and Jacie Goodman of Palm Beach Gardens High are off to college in the fall, but they won't be taking along the financial burden of academia.

Chosen based on a "strong caddie record, excellent academics, financial need and outstanding character," Noone and Goodman join 315 others across the nation in the 2022 class of Evans Scholars.

“These young students have shown excellence in the classroom, in their communities and on the golf course,” said Western Golf Association (WGA) President and CEO John Kaczkowski. “We are proud to welcome them to the Evans Scholars family.”

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After months of making sure "everything was perfect," collecting recommendations, writing essays and surviving a final round of interviews, Noone and Goodman got the news they would receive more than $120,000 over the next four years of their college experience — a full ride, tuition and housing assistance included.

Scattered from Colorado to Illinois, Notre Dame to Ohio State, and more, more than 1,070 caddies are enrolled at the 21 partner universities of the scholarship's sponsors, the WGA and the Evans Scholars Foundation.

None of those schools is in Florida, making Goodman and Noone receiving the scholarship all the more rare.

Noone will attend Penn State to study professional golf management based on the program's good reviews from other caddies who "loved it" and the "great atmosphere" in University Park.

Although she originally planned on being at the University of Maryland, Goodman learned in April that there were enough scholarship spots left for her to attend the University of Michigan.

"Yes, Florida has fantastic schools, but I mean, University of Michigan, there's something about it," Goodman said, noting that the public university is ranked among the top three in the country.

Goodman still hasn't set foot in Ann Arbor, having taken a "virtual tour," but the political science major-to-be is excited to move in mid-August and join the girls she's been chatting with over the summer in the campus' Evans Scholars community.

With Penn State's yearly out-of-state tuition reaching an estimated $53,856 and $69,326 for Michigan, Noone and Goodman agreed they would've been afforded "zero chance" of attending an out-of-state school.

"There's no way. I would've had to have gone to a Florida school with Bright Futures — and that still doesn't cover housing," Goodman said.

“Jacie and Connor epitomize what our program has been about since its creation in 1930,” said WGA Chairman Joe Desch, nodding to founder and famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr.

“Their dedication, hard work and sacrifice is humbling, and we are honored to be able to help them pursue their dreams,” Desch said.

The pair's journey started long before their final year of high school.

Both got their first fairway experiences at a young age, Noone starting play at 7 and Goodman at 10. In playing golf and working with The First Tee of the Palm Beaches, the two learned of the Evans Scholars Foundation, which receives all proceeds from the PGA Tour's BMW Championship and is known as one of the sport's "favorite charities."

As Noone's freshman year approached, he interviewed and got a "wonderful opportunity" to caddy at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach.

The following year, Old Marsh Golf Club asked Goodman to interview and the rest was history — including the history Goodman made as the Palm Beach Gardens club's first Evans Scholar and Florida's first female recipient of the honor.

When they weren't caddying for course members and guests, the two could be found volunteering at First Tee's yearly youth summer camps or Honda Classic charity events.

Goodman also spent time working with pro golfer Ernie Els' nonprofit, Els for Autism, and coaching the after-school golf program at Jupiter's Els Center of Excellence, which serves more than 130 students from ages 3 to 14 who have been diagnosed with autism.

Per conditions of the scholarship, Noone and Goodman won't forget their roots and can still be found in Palm Beach County from time to time, giving back at their respective clubs while they're home on break from college.

Working toward the scholarship provided the Gator duo some of their greenest days, Goodman's including out-caddying all of the boys in a local men's member-guest tournament a couple of years back, and Noone carrying Sepp Straka's bag the day after he won this year's Honda Classic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Gardens High grads earn full rides to college for caddying talents and community service