For some, being a caddie is a great summer job. But for one Marquette High School student, it turned out to be life-changing.
WAUWATOSA, Wis. – For some, being a caddie is a great summer job. But for one Marquette High School student, it turned out to be life-changing.
What we know:
On a sun-soaked day at Blue Mound Golf & Country Club, Bobby Koehne is soaking it all in.
"You get to enjoy nature and walk outside," he said.
This walk includes carrying Mike Malone's golf bag.
"I think he’s a wonderful young man," Malone said.
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The two have known each other for a number of years, ever since Bobby became a caddie at the club.
"They understand the situation that caddies are in when they’re starting out. They get that they’re nervous. So, they want to support the caddie program," Koehne said. "So, they’re very willing to kind of be very gentle and be kind of proactive in how they treat their caddies."
Those relationships helped Bobby earn the prestigious Evans Scholarship from the Western Golf Association, sending him to Notre Dame.
"It means the world. I mean I couldn’t have asked for a better education. Notre Dame has been a dream of mine over these past couple of years," he said. "So, to be able to go there on the Evans Scholarship and to experience all that it has to offer. Even though I haven’t experienced it yet, I can tell it’s going to be life-changing."
Local perspective:
However, his path to Notre Dame hasn’t been easy. At a young age, he lost his father.
"I think in a lot of ways that process made me a better man in a lot of ways," he said. "Not having a father, usually fathers add support. That kind of pushes you to do that. So, I’m kind of learning to do that on my own has been invaluable."
But he hasn’t been alone. Bobby’s mom has been so important in helping him become who he is.
"It’s special to be able to kind of go to your mom and say I did this. I obviously had a lot of help, and I’m interdependent. But this is because our hard work together and what you gave me," Koehne said. "So, thank you. It’s a sense of gratitude being able to, for my mom, to be able to do this."
So, when he goes to Notre Dame and continues on in life, he will follow his mom’s example.
"One of the things I’m pretty sure it’s going to be is it’s going to be in some sort of helping people or public service in some way," Malone said.
"Everything is a gift. My education I have, my family, my own gifts and talents, I would be in the wrong if I thought that that was mine, and I could use it for my own benefit," Koehne said. "I don’t know, it’s just kind of inconceivable to me that I could do it for a comfortable life. I don’t think that’s a valuable life."
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And even after he’s left Blue Mound, his name is among the other former caddies who’ve earned the Evans Scholarship, and he’ll still be an inspiration to the next one to follow in his footsteps.
Dig deeper:
The Evans Scholars Foundation awards the scholarships to high-achieving caddies with limited financial means.
Blue Mound Golf & Country Club has had Evans Scholars go to Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Marquette, Minnesota and Northwestern.
For more information, visit the Western Golf Association’s website.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by the FOX6 sports team.
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