Father Judge’s Jake Ruppert heads to Penn State on a full ride after being a golf caddie
The senior will attend Penn State on a full four-year scholarship after he was accepted into the Platt Evans Scholars program for his work as a caddie at the Union League Golf Club in Torresdale.
There’s not much overlap between ice hockey and golf, but for Jake Ruppert, hockey, the one sport he’s played since age 5, somehow introduced him to golf’s sprawling greens and landed him an opportunity as a caddie.
The Father Judge senior is required through Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education, a league he’s played on for 13 years, to attend three informational sessions as a member of the nonprofit. He decided to learn more about the Platt Scholarship session, which is designed to cover part of college tuition (ranging from $1,000 to $10,000) for high schoolers who caddie at a PGA club.
The Northeast native, who lives in Torresdale, is a member of First Tee and has golfed at John F. Byrne Golf Club since 2020. He joined First Tee’s Caddie Academy in eighth grade. Coaches at Snider recommended that he caddie at Torresdale’s Union League Golf Club.
What started four years ago as a way to earn college scholarship money turned into opportunities that have impacted Ruppert‘s life.
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Since becoming a caddie, he’s traveled to Arizona on behalf of First Tee for a community service project, where he worked on creating an online children’s book and visited the headquarters of PING. He also has caddied for professional athletes, including Jason Kelce, at Union League.
His commitment and connections to golf led him to apply last August to the prestigious Platt Evans Scholarship, which provides full four-year housing and tuition at Penn State. He’s was one of 380 selections in the nation to get in this year.
“I’m so excited,” he said. “My mom and dad talk about it all the time, just being able to go to Penn State, and I got into the business school, which is really good, and just being able to have that alumni and network of people that I’m going to be able to talk to after college is so important to me. … I always knew I wanted to go to college and not having any debt after is just so life changing for me.”
Ruppert will be living in a house with other newly awarded Platt Evans Scholars, including three locals, Brady Donaghy of Penncrest High, Michael Green of Wissahickon, and James Reath of Souderton Area. They’ll be required to participate in community service projects throughout the school year and caddie 30 rounds of golf during the summer months.
Luckily for Ruppert, he enjoys the game of golf more than ever before. Growing up, he wanted to be a college hockey player. But almost quit the sport during his junior year after he got cut from his high school varsity team and Snider A team.
However, he’s stuck with it and used golf as an outlet to cope with his emotions.
“It’s just a great place for me to escape and just talk to my friends,” Ruppert said. “It just really helps me focus on myself. I don’t have to worry about any school work or anything hockey related, because hockey has always been pretty serious in my life. It was just a time for me to relax and hang out with my friends — It was just so fun for me, and I really love golf.”
For the past two years, he has been a key member of Snider’s leadership committee and now runs the Platt Scholarship informational sessions. Stepping out of his comfort zone and serving as a mentor are traits, Ruppert says, he picked up from being a caddie.
“Each day is very different,” he added. “You get different golfers. You get different people. But one thing is to just be confident in everything you do, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. … secondly, it’s just talking to people when I’m at work and networking.”
This week, Ruppert is volunteering as a standard-bearer for the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. Last year, during the Truist Championship, he got to follow his favorite golfer Hideki Matsuyama, as well as, Brian Campbell and Patrick Rodgers.
He’s looking forward to being at a major and witnessing some of the best golfers play. But none of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for the connections he’s made through the Evans Scholars and Philadelphia golf community.
And it all started with hockey leading him to golf.
“I definitely say Snider has helped me get into golf,” Ruppert said. “More specifically, caddying, but caddying has also got me into golf. … I had the same group of friends since I started playing hockey, and now they’re my friends that I golf with.”
The 108th PGA Championship returns to Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square for the first time in over six decades.
You can watch Marcus Hayes and Jeff Neiburg preview the tournament on Gameday Central from Aronimink, and be sure to check out the PGA Championship Range Show from 12-2 p.m daily, starting Wednesday.
Whether you're going, watching from home, or just curious about what all the fuss is about, we've got you covered with our PGA guide and stories on everything from Aronimink's history and design, to what the players have to say about returning to the Philly area. We even made a golf video game so you can play the course and learn its secrets.
Get it all with our full PGA Championship preview. And follow the latest news and action from the course, right here.
