Kevin Li and Esther Yapjoco, left-right
courtesy photos
Kevin Li of Snohomish just nailed a full-ride scholarship to college for caddying golf clubs. Esther Yapjoco, of Everett, did too.
Yep! Li and Yapjoco are two of the four teens this year in Washington selected for the Chick Evans Scholarship from the Western Golf Association. The scholarship considers caddying records and academic excellence to decide among multiple applicants.
Li, who caddies at the Seattle Golf Club in Shoreline, said caddying has shaped his character. He started caddying at 14, and he remembers countless mornings of getting up at 5 a.m. to make the morning tee times and continue caddying into afternoon. The required discipline helped shape his determination, he said.
“I would say I’m a better caddy than a golfer,” Li, 18, laughed. He’s got a 3.8 GPA at Jackson, and plans to go to UW-Seattle.
Yapjoco, 17, is homeschooled and is a member of the Jackson varsity girls golf team. She’s got an unweighted 3.9 and plans to go to UW-Seattle.
Her coach introduced her to caddying. “I love it — I love meeting new people every single day and walking the golf course every morning,” Yapjoco said.
Yapjoco caddies at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle and was in the Caddie Academy at 15.
“She works really hard,” Li said from seeing Yapjoco work tournaments.
Yapjoco said you can see role models on the golf course who have gone far in life.
Winning the scholarships mean a lot for both of them.
“If you put in the effort, you will eventually reap the reward,” Li said.
