The Virginia State Golf Association joins in mourning Moss Beecroft, an eight-time Virginia State Golf Association champion, who died this past weekend at the age of 89.
Born May 8, 1930, Morris Bryan “Moss” Beecroft was the patriarch of men’s clothing store Beecroft & Bull, which he built from the ground up with his late wife, Frances, more than 60 years ago. Three Beecroft & Bull stores operate today, with locations in Virginia Beach, Richmond and Charlottesville. Years ago, Esquire magazine created a yearly list of the “Best Men’s Stores in the Country,” a list on which Beecroft & Bull is a mainstay.
The Newport News native was an accomplished golfer and a longtime member at James River Country Club. Beecroft won six VSGA Senior Amateur Championships and added two VSGA Senior Stroke Play titles to his extensive resume. He was a finalist at the 1991 U.S. Senior Amateur and was the low amateur at the 1992 U.S. Senior Open.
Beecroft was a fixture on the highly regarded Society of Seniors Amateur Tour in Florida and was inducted into the Quail Ridge Hall of Fame in Boynton Beach, Fla., his home away from home. In 1999, Beecroft was inducted into the Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame. Beecroft also won the Kenridge Invitational at Farmington Country Club in 1967 and was runner-up of the Eastern Amateur at Elizabeth Manor Golf & Country Club in 1970.
