Evan Beck wins U.S. Mid-Amateur, spectacularly avenging 2023 loss in the final

A 36-hole final for a national championship generally promises drama at some point in the match. On Thursday, Evan Beck did not comply en route to winning the U.S. Mid-Amateur title.

Beck, 34, of Virginia Beach, Va., sprinted to an 8-up lead on Bobby Massa of Dallas through 18 holes at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, Va., before closing out a 9-and-8 runaway, the largest margin of victory in this championship since Kevin Marsh defeated Carlton Forrester, 10 and 9, in 2005.

“I'm playing probably the best golf of my life,” Beck said, “so maybe if I stuck with it, I could have made some money. Happy with today, with this week, and it's really special to do it so close to home. Looking forward to what's next.”

What’s next includes exemptions into the 2025 U.S. Open and the next two U.S. Amateurs and likely an invitation to the 2025 Masters.

After the winning putt was holed, Beck was greeted by Vinny Giles, 81, a legendary Virginia golfer and past U.S. Amateur and British Amateur champion, who played on four U.S. Walker Cup teams and captained the 1993 team to a victory.

“So being from Virginia, Vinny's like my golfing hero,” Beck said, while holding a trophy with Giles’ name on it. “It feels really weird. It doesn't feel real. I think it will sink in at some point. There's a lot of great names on this trophy, and somehow mine's going to be on there, too.”

Beck, who played college golf at Wake Forest and now is an analyst for an investment group, avenged a 2023 loss in the U.S. Mid-Amateur final to Stewart Hagestad. He also lost in a U.S. Junior Amateur final to Cameron Peck in 2008.

“He was very solid today,” Massa said of Beck. “Great player. I definitely didn't put a lot of pressure on him. That maybe made it a little easier for him. I wish I would have given him a better run at it. But it is what it is.

“I didn't drive it good today. Also, the putter … I couldn't read the greens today. I was off by just a little bit. Kept underreading them a little bit, then I started overreading them, kind of back and forth. Yeah, just wasn't my day.”

Beck had no such issues. “I was just lucky to stay in it and kept making pars and birdies,” he said, “and the speed on my putts were good all week. Had a couple drop, which was great.

“Last year was pretty brutal. It wasn't even really close. The score was close at the end, 3 and 2, but I was down 9 at one point. Like I said earlier, to be able to come back and make it to the finals again and come out on top is pretty sweet.”