Last year, Evan Beck qualified for the US Mid-Amateur championship match but lost. This year, there was no doubt.
Beck, 34, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, topped Bobby Massa 9 and 8 on Thursday at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia. He became the first medalist or co-medalist since 2014 to win the title, and the victory comes with many benefits.
With victory, Beck earns an exemption to the 2025 US Open at Oakmont Country Club and a likely invitation to the 2025 Masters. He also has a great opportunity to make the Walker Cup team for the 50th edition at Cypress Point in California, as well as to become the highest-ranked American mid-amateur player in the world amateur golf rankings.
Beck took an 8-point lead into the 18-hole break over Massa, a quarterfinalist at last month’s U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National in Minnesota. He won nine holes in the morning session, then won the 19th hole to move up by 9.
Evan Beck seen with the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy after winning the 2024 US Mid-Amateur at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, Va., Thursday, September 26, 2024. (Logan Whitton/USGA)
Massa, a 36-year-old from Dallas who is USGA President Fred Perpall’s personal trainer, has ball speeds that reach 190 at some points and is one of the longest hitters in the game .
However, Thursday belonged to Beck, who, with his victory on Thursday, set up what is sure to be an incredible year of golf in 2025.
This article was originally published on Golfweek: Evan Beck wins 43rd US Mid-Amateur in dominant fashion and makes a case for Walker Cup
