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By Chris Lang
VIRGINIA BEACH — If it seems like Mikey Moyers and Evan Beck have competed against each other for a long time, that’s because it’s true.
They’ve played in Virginia State Golf Association events together since they were 9 and 10 years old. They battled it out in VSGA junior championships and played ACC golf against one another; Moyers at Virginia Tech, Beck at Wake Forest. In 2011, when Beck earned low amateur honors at the State Open of Virginia, Moyers was right there with him, finishing a stroke behind.
So when Beck looked at the leaderboard at the 44th VSGA Mid-Amateur Championship and saw he was two shots behind Moyers heading into Sunday’s third and final round, he smiled, knowing there was a good chance they’d get to play together in the final grouping.
“That’ll be fun,” Beck said. “I don’t get too see him much anymore.”
Moyers posted a second straight bogey-free round Saturday at Bayville Golf Club, a 5-under-par 67 that left him with a two-day, 9-under total of 135. Beck enters the final round in second after returning rounds of 69 and 68 for a two-day 137.
The 30-year-old Beck (Princess Anne CC) and 29-year-old Moyers (Greene Hills Club) comprise two-thirds of the final grouping on Sunday. They’ll be joined by past Mid-Amateur champion Justin Young (Ballyhack GC), who sits at 5-under after posting 69-70 for an aggregate 139 over the tournament’s first two days.
Four others were tied for third with Young: Jordan Utley (Hermitage CC), Blake Carter (Chatmoss GC), Tim Pemberton (Two Rivers CC) and Dustin Groves (The Club at Glenmore).
The field was cut to the low 48 players and ties for Sunday’s final round, which begins at 8 a.m. with a double-tee start.
Moyers did most of his damage on the front nine for the second straight day, playing it at 4 under. He played the back nine exactly as he did in Friday’s first round, finishing with eight pars, and a birdie on No. 15.
“It’s been kind of stress free,” Moyers said, adding, “my driver is getting kind of erratic right now, so I’m getting a little worried about that.
“I hit maybe two fairways today. So it was a really good round. I felt like I shot like 58 or something.”
Moyers said he’ll take the same approach to Sunday’s final round that he’s used the first two days.
“You can’t change the way you play, it never works,” Moyers said. “I’ve learned that through playing professional golf. If you start trying to hit middle of the green, it just doesn’t work. You have to stay aggressive.
“You just can’t think about anything negative. You don’t think, basically. You shut your mind off. You see what you want to do and do it. This book I’ve been reading, ‘Zen Golf’ (by Dr. Joseph Parent), that’s basically what it says. Don’t worry about anything else. Don’t look at the scoreboard. See the shot you want to hit and hit it. It’s really helped me.”
Beck, the 2010 State Open champ, got off to a sizzling start on Saturday, making five birdies in his first 10 holes to surge toward the top of the leaderboard. He made a critical mistake on 11, a drive into the water leading to a double bogey. He recovered with a birdie on 12, made bogey on 14, bounced back with a birdie on 15 and parred the final three holes for his 68.
“It was kind of like yesterday, when I got it to 4 under and then just held on coming in,” Beck said. “It would be nice to play a full 18 where I’m playing well the whole time. But I feel like I’m in a good spot. I should have a chance tomorrow.”
As is the case for many mid-amateurs, infrequent play has left Beck struggling to find consistency at times. And for a player who had a high level of success earlier in his career both at the state and collegiate level, it can be difficult to keep expectations in check.
“Yeah, work’s not conducive to good golf,” Beck said with a laugh. “I have a tough time with that sometimes. It’s really hard because you expect to play really well, but you’re only playing three or four times a month, so you can only play but so well.”
Still, being in the mix in the final round will get good nervous energy flowing, Beck said.
“Absolutely, that’s why we play the game, as they say,” Beck said.
Ryan Bishop (Hermitage CC) enters the final round five shots back of the lead after posting a second straight 2-under 70. Jeremy Alcorn (Poplar Grove GC), Joe Morton (Broad Bay CC) and Steve Serrao (Willow Oaks CC) are tied for eighth at 141, six shots off the pace.
Lang is the VSGA’s manager of media and communications.