Evan Beck Named VSGA Co-Player of the Year
12/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Wake Forest sophomore Evan Beck received the Virginia State Golf Association's Co-Player of the Year award on Saturday at the VGSA's annual meeting at Princess Anne Country Club. Beck shares the award with friend and current Duke sophomore Brinson Paolini.
Beck and Paolini, who forged their friendship as 11-year olds at the Princess Anne Country Club also shared the 2008 VGSA Junior Golfer of the Year award.
The golfers were history-makers this summer as well. Beck, 20, shot a final round 6-under-par 66 to post a one-stroke victory at the SunTrust State Open of Virginia at Independence Golf Club. His 72-hole aggregate score of 20-under 268 equaled the championship's scoring record established by Robert Wrenn, a fellow Wake Forest golfer, at Willow Oaks Country Club in 1991. Beck sank a 5-foot putt on the 72nd hole to outlast Cameron Yancey, a mini-tour professional from Blackstone. Nineteen years old at the time of his victory, Beck became the youngest winner since the merger of two Opens 26 years ago, and is believed to be the youngest champion since 1932 when Chandler Harper won the State Open at the age of 18.
Beck also tied for second place at the Eastern Amateur at Portsmouth's Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club, and advanced to the round of 32 at the VSGA Amateur Championship. As a Demon Deacon this fall, Beck played in five tournaments and was second on the team with a 70.9 scoring average. He led the squad with 12 of 15 rounds at par or better and was the only player on the team to have all 15 of his rounds count towards the team score. Beck also finished all five tournaments in the top-20 and put together a string of seven-straight rounds at par or better, which makes him just the fifth Demon Deacon since 1984 to accomplish that feat.
The 19-year-old Paolini, a sophomore at Duke, won an unprecedented third straight VSGA Amateur Championship title, scoring a 1-up victory over Michael Kirby of Fairfax at Alexandria's Belle Haven Country Club. With his trio of victories, Paolini eclipsed a virtual Mount Rushmore of Virginia golfers who all own two straight victories in the championship, comprised of Billy Hurley (2004-05); Jay Woodson (2002-03); John Rollins (1996-97); Tom McKnight (1984-85); Curtis Strange (1974-75); Vinny Giles (1968-69) and Chandler Harper (1933-34).
At the 36th hole of the final encounter, Paolini converted an up-and-down par save from the back bunker, draining the ensuing three-and-a-half foot par-saving putt to write his name into the record books. Paolini also qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash., and recorded a tie for third-place finish at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate this fall while representing Duke.
Beck and the Demon Deacons will return to action in February as they will play at the TPC of Sawgrass in the JU Invitational on Feb. 1 and 2.
Players Mentioned
