BMW of North America and Western Golf Association Name Diana Llamas the Newest BMW Hole-in-One Scholar.

• Llamas receives a full, four-year Evans Scholarship as a result of Viktor Hovland’s hole-in-one at the 2022 BMW Championiship.

• Sixth BMW Hole-in-One Scholarship awarded since 2007.

Olympia Fields, IL – August 19, 2023… BMW of North America and the Western Golf Association announced today that Diana Llamas of Chicago has been named the newest BMW Hole-in-One Scholar. Llamas will receive a full, four-year Evans Scholarship worth more than $125,000 to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a result of Viktor Hovland’s ace during the final round of last year’s BMW Championship at Wilmington Country Club in Delaware.

Llamas, a caddie at Ridgemoor Country Club in Chicago, is the sixth recipient of a BMW Hole-in-One Scholarship, which awards a full tuition and housing grant to deserving young caddies in the name of the first player to record a hole-in-one during tournament play at the BMW Championship. She is a first-generation college student and the third member of her family to earn the Evans Scholarship, following her brothers Jose (Marquette) and Daniel (Northwestern).
“Being the third sibling to earn the Evans Scholarship means everything to my family. I’m so honored to be named the BMW Hole-in-One Scholar, and my brothers are so proud,” said Llamas, who plans to study environmental engineering.  “The endless opportunities that come along with being an Evans Scholar are incredible – especially this one to meet Viktor Hovland, who helped make this possible for me.”

Since 2007, the BMW Championshp has raised more than $45 million in support of the Evans Scholars Foundation, helping more than 3,300 students attend college.

“We are proud of our longstanding partnership with the Western Golf Association, and of the great impact The BMW Championship makes in the lives of so many young scholars,” said Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management for People and Places, BMW AG.  “BMW believes strongly in the role corporations play in supporting organizations like the Evans Scholars Foundation, which creates opportunities for young people to reach their full potential.”

Currently, a record 1,130 caddies are enrolled in 24 universities across the nation as Evans Scholars.

Llamas attended the 2023 BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ilinois, on Saturday, Aug. 19, where she had the opportunity to meet Hovland and thank him in person. 
“We are so appreciative of our partner, BMW, and their dedicated support of our Evans Scholars throughout the years,” said WGA President and CEO John Kaczkowski. “Diana is a wonderful example of all the qualities that our Evans Scholars share – she is hard-working, committed and dedicated. We have no doubt she will make the most of this life-changing opportunity to attend college.”

Previous BMW Hole-in-One Scholarship recipients include:

• 2017: Brooklyn Gabriel (Jason Day at Conway Farms)
• 2015: Hayden Bauschka (Jordan Spieth at Conway Farms)
• 2013: Melyzjah Smith (Hunter Mahan at Conway Farms)
• 2012: Mark Abtahi (Steve Stricker at Crooked Stick)
• 2010: Haelena Schwemmer (Sean O’Hair at Cog Hill)

For updates during the 2023 BMW Championship, follow the conversation with:

• Facebook: facebook.com/BMWChampionship
• Twitter: @BMWchamps, @PGATOUR, @WGAESF
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About the BMW Championship

The BMW Championship dates back to 1899 when it debuted as the Western Open, making it the third-oldest tournament on the PGA TOUR schedule, behind only the British Open and U.S. Open. BMW has sponsored the tournament since 2007 when it became the penultimate event of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs. The BMW Championship features a field of the top 50 players in the FedExCup standings to determine the final 30 players for the FedExCup final at the TOUR Championship in Atlanta. Since 2007, the BMW Championship has contributed more than $45 million to the Evans Scholars Foundation, the event’s charitable beneficiary. To learn more, visit bmwchampionship.com.

About the Western Golf Association

The Western Golf Association conducts six national golf championships and sponsors the nationally acclaimed Evans Scholars Foundation. Headquartered in Glenview, Illinois, the organization was founded in 1899 by 11 Chicago-area golf clubs to promote their interests in golf. In addition to the BMW Championship on the PGA TOUR and the NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank on the Korn Ferry Tour, the WGA conducts four prestigious amateur championships: the Western Amateur, the Western Junior, and the Women’s Western Golf Association’s Amateur and Junior championships.

About the Evans Scholars Foundation

Established by the WGA and famed amateur golfer Charles Chick Evans Jr., the Evans Scholars Foundation provides full housing and tuition scholarships to high-achieving caddies across the country. Currently, a record 1,130 caddies are enrolled in 22 universities across the nation as Evans Scholars. The Program, which is supported by the WGA, is funded by contributions from more than 33,500 Par Club members, including Evans Scholars Alumni, as well as proceeds from the BMW Championship. Since the Program’s inception in 1930, more than 11,800 caddies nationwide have graduated as Evans Scholars. To learn more, visit wgaesf.org.