Wake Forest Athletics
Evan Beck Wins SunTrust State Open of Virginia
7/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
MIDLOTHIAN, Va. - Wake Forest rising-sophomore Evan Beck fired four under-par rounds and outlasted a host of professionals to win the 2010 SunTrust State Open of Virginia this weekend at the Independence Golf Club.
Beck, a Virginia Beach, Va., native, finished at a remarkable 20-under par after rounds of 65-67-70-66=268. The 268 total was one shot better than Cameron Yancey and it ties fellow Demon Deacon Robert Wrenn's tournament record of 20-under 268.
Beck opened the event with a bogey-free round of 7-under 65 and held a share of the first round lead. He took the lead by himself at the turn on Friday and despite a second round 5-under 67, he was a shot back after two rounds.
On Saturday, Beck made the turn at even-par and was still even through 16 holes. A solidly struck 3-wood on the par-5 17th left him in nice shape for an eagle which vaulted him back into a tie for the lead at 14-under par. A final par on No. 18 gave him a third-straight under-par round of 70 and he shared the 54-hole lead with PGA Professional Rick Schuller.
Beck, Schuller and Yancey were all in the final pairing on Sunday. Yancey went out in 4-under 32 and held a 1-shot lead on Beck and a 2-shot lead on Schuller at the turn. But Beck birdied four of the first seven holes on the back nine to get to 20-under and take a 2-shot lead on Yancey and a 3-shot cushion on Schuller. After Beck pared No. 17 and both Schuller and Yancey made birdie, those leads had been trimmed by one. But all three players would make pars on the par-4 18th and Beck would claim his first title of the summer.
For the tournament, Beck made a total of 23 birdies, one eagle and just five bogeys. He also torched the par 5s, going a combined 12-under par on the 5-pars this week.
These last two weeks have been extremely successful for Beck. He finished second last week at the 54th Eastern Amateur in Portsmouth, Va. He also fired four under-par rounds in that event as well giving him eight-straight under-par rounds with seven of the eight coming in the 60s.
Beck came on strong at the end of the collegiate season, leading the team at the NCAA Regionals in May with rounds of 72-71-69. The 69 was his lowest round of the year. Overall, he finished third on the team with a 74.6 stroke average and recorded four top-20 finishes.
Players Mentioned
