Evan Beck wins US Mid-Amateur in dominant fashion, earns Masters invite

Finally, Evan Beck will have his name etched on the wall at USGA Hall of Champions. Thanks to his excellent performance in Kinloch Golf Club this week, Beck is the latest US Intermediate Champion.

Beck, a 34-year-old from Virginia, played brilliantly from start to finish this week as he became the first stroke medalist to win the championship since 2008. He finished his title with a 9-under Bobby Massa’s -8 in the championship game Thursday to win his first USGA title.

“It’s pretty sweet,” he said of finally winning a USGA title. “I’ve always dreamed of winning one of these.”

Beck had been close before, but he had never quite climbed to the top of the mountain. He made the 2008 US Junior Amateur Championship match, defeating Jordan Spieth en route before losing to Cameron Peck, and also lost in last year’s US Mid-Am Championship match as he fell to Stewart Hagestad. In his home state, however, Beck was unstoppable.

After sharing medalist honors with Segundo Oliva Pinto after shooting rounds of 68 and 65, Beck battled into the semifinals, winning three of his first four matches on the 18th hole or later. After reaching the final four, Beck left little doubt. He won his semifinal match against Stephen Behr Jr. 5 and 3 before easily dispatching Massa in the 36-hole final.

“To come all the way and come up short (twice) is overwhelming,” Beck said. “Being able to push forward and prove that you can do it to yourself, more than anything, is pretty awesome.”

With the win, Beck becomes the first native Virginian to win a USGA title since Lauren Greenlief in 2015 at the US Women’s Mid-Amateur. The victory moves Beck to No. 32 in the world amateur golf rankings and earns him a spot in the 2025 US Open at Oakmont Country Club. In addition, he will all but certainly receive an invitation to the Masters next spring.

“You’ve seen me cry like three times,” Beck said. “I’ll probably do more of this later.”

Zephyr Melton

Editor of Golf.com

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Before joining the GOLF team, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists with all lessons and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.