Evan Beck of Virginia Beach repeats as Eastern Amateur golf champion
Evan Beck did it again.
The Virginia Beach golfer repeated as the Eastern Amateur champion in Portsmouth, firing a final-round 68 to finish at 13-under-par 197 and win by four strokes over Jayce Hargrove of Lubbock, Texas, a former Texas Tech golfer who transferred to VCU.
Beck, 31, became the first competitor in 19 years to repeat as the champion in one of the region’s best-known amateur tournaments.
After starring for Norfolk Academy and competing for Wake Forest and as a pro, he got his amateur status reinstated in 2018 and has been one of the region’s best since. In 2021, he not only won the Eastern Amateur, but also the State Open of Virginia and the VSGA Mid-Amateur. He was the runner-up at this year’s State Open.
Beck opened the event with a 71 Thursday but played himself into contention with a 64 Friday. He took the lead during Saturday’s third round and maintained it through Sunday’s action at Elizabeth Manor Golf & Country Club in the event’s 65th edition.
Radford’s Bryce Corbett was third at 7 under, while Suffolk’s Trey Wren shot 68 Sunday to tie East Carolina’s Carter Busse at 5 under for fourth place. Wren starred for Nansemond-Suffolk Academy before competing for Temple University late last decade.
George Mason’s Seth Conway took sixth at 4 under, and six golfers tied for seventh at 3 under, including Christopher Newport’s Alex Price, Virginia’s Matthew Monastero and Virginia Tech’s Charlie Hanson.
Beck birdied the sixth and ninth holes, both par-3s, as well as the par-3 11th and par-4 13th. He carded bogey-5s at 14 and 16, but by then, he had all but sealed the trophy.
