Championship website | Scoring | Inside the Field | Record book
Dates: Saturday, September 21 - Thursday, September 26
Format: Two rounds of stroke-play qualifying, one round each for every player at Kinloch Golf Club and Independence Golf Club. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which begins Monday and will be held entirely at Kinloch. If necessary, a playoff will be utilized to determine the final match-play spots. That playoff will be held Monday morning. The round of 64 is on Monday. Rounds of 32 and 16 are Tuesday. Quarterfinals and semifinals are Wednesday. The 36-hole championship match is scheduled for Thursday.
Host site: Kinloch Golf Club
Stroke-play qualifying co-host: Independence Golf Club
Spectator information: Admission is free and spectators are encouraged. All parking is now at Kinloch. Shuttles are no longer running from Capital One to the course.
(Vinny Giles greets Evan Beck at the 10th green after Beck clinched his victory with a par. Credit: Logan Whitton/USGA)
By Chris Lang
MANAKIN SABOT -- Outward displays of emotion on the golf course are rare for Princess Anne Country Club's Evan Beck, at least under normal circumstances. But as his 6 1/2-foot par putt fell on the 10th green at Kinloch Golf Club on Thursday afternoon, the reality began to set in. Amateur legend and Kinloch patriarch Vinny Giles stepped on the green to shake Beck's hand and offer congratulations. Kevin Hammer, a member of the USGA executive committee, joined in the celebration, the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy in his hands. The gallery ringing the green cheered in celebration.
Beck was inevitable all day, and the putt sealed his 9-and-8 victory at the 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship and his first USGA title. Afterward, the normally stoic Beck's voice trembled as he wiped away tears during an interview with Golf Channel. Asked what it meant to him to be a USGA champion, he quipped: "I've already cried like three times already," with a chuckle.
"It's pretty sweet," Beck said. "I always dreamt of winning one of these. It's incredible that it happened so close to home."
Also incredible that it happened a year after Beck felt the lows of being on the other end of a championship-match beatdown. After Wednesday's semifinal win over Stephen Behr Jr., Beck said getting off to a hot start was paramount to his hopes of being the last man standing in the 256-player championship. Last year against Stewart Hagestad, he fell 7 down 21 holes into the match, and though he chipped away at the lead, he simply ran out of holes to catch Hagestad in a 3-and-2 loss.
He carried the memory of that defeat with him throughout the week, hoping for a chance to redeem himself should he reach the 36-hole final again.
"It was just the agony of getting smoked by Stewart," Beck said. "And I was just so nervous. I mean, I didn't sleep at all the last couple nights and couldn't eat breakfast. Just knowing that you have to come out with everything, and you can't just make pars and hope the other guy makes mistakes."
Massa had Beck's attention from the get-go, considering how well the Texan played the front nine in Wednesday's semifinal against Drew Kittleson. Massa shot a 7-under 29 in the front in that match, but as golf goes, that sort of success is hard to replicate.
Beck won five of the first nine holes with birdie, and Massa struggled to hit the ball with any consistency. And while Beck was rolling in putts from 15-20 feet for birdie, Massa struggled to make 6-8 footers. Still, with 27 holes to play, there was plenty of precedent of players shaking off a slow start to mount a rally. Massa made his first birdie on 11 to cut into the lead and had a golden opportunity on 12 to put some pressure on his opponent. Instead, he missed an 8-foot birdie putt and Beck remained 4-up going to 13.
"Yep, just couldn't get it to go," Massa said. "Just couldn't get it to go. It was just not my day, to say the least. Yeah, golf is hard."
As the gallery steadily grew on Thursday, so did Beck's lead. He pushed it to 8-up by lunch, and on the first hole of the afternoon session, he drained a 40-foot birdie putt that slid in the backdoor to go 9-up, eliciting a roar from the gallery and signaling that there would be no let up, no window for Massa to try to mount a serious comeback.
"That's where his mind was," Mikey Moyers, Beck's caddie, said of Beck's gas-on-the-pedal mindset. "He felt like he was tied the whole time. I mean, I was relaxing. I felt comfortable, especially knowing he was in that mindset."
Beck tried not to think about the spoils of victory until the win was secured, but it was hard not to dream of playing a U.S. Open at Oakmont, or the Masters at Augusta National. It's a dream no longer. Beck has tried to advance to the U.S. Open through sectional qualifying three times but missed each time. He's never set foot on property at Augusta National, even during his Wake Forest days. He has plenty of friends in the Deacons' alumni network -- Will Zalatoris comes to mind -- who might help him snag a few practice times in the lead-up to April.
"I've been thinking about it every day," said Beck, winner of two State Opens of Virginia and two VSGA Mid-Amateurs. "I try not to get emotional, try to stay in the moment, and hit one shot at a time. Mikey, wherever he is, he might have split already, my caddie, Mikey Moyers, did a really good job of keeping me in it. We played, what, 28 holes, and he must have said come on, Mike, like 750 times to try to like stay thinking about what we're doing and not thinking about what comes with this."
In the end, Beck returned to Kinloch's clubhouse, where he was greeted with applause before stepping outside to pose for trophy photos by the lake. The 10-and-8 defeat in the 2009 U.S. Junior Amateur final, last year's defeat to Hagestad, they seemed like distant memories. In the moment, Beck was a national champion, and that's all that mattered.
"To be able to push through and prove that you can do it to yourself, more than anything, it's pretty awesome," he said.
(Evan Beck advanced to the U.S. Mid-Amateur championship match for the second straight year. Credit: Logan Whitton/USGA)
By Chris Lang
MANAKIN SABOT -- There were moments this week that you could sense the pressure Princess Anne Country Club's Evan Beck was under at Kinloch Golf Club. Trying to advance to a second straight U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship match is a difficult task. Add in the pressure of playing in front of friends and family in the state where he honed his craft, and there were sure to be some tense moments. After three nail-biting matches simply to reach Wednesday's semifinal round, Beck took an early lead on Georgia's Stephen Behr Jr. and never let up, clinching a 5-and-3 win with an 8-foot birdie putt in front of an adoring home gallery ringing the hilltop green.
As he walked back toward his shuttle cart, Beck was stopped by Vinny Giles, the world's most decorated lifelong amateur and Kinloch patriarch, who offered a handshake and congratulations. Among the gallery were Beck's parents, more friends and family, and fans of Virginia golf in general.
On Thursday, Beck will face Dallas' Bobby Massa in the 36-hole championship match, seeking to become the first USGA champion from Virginia since Lauren Greenlief won the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur in 2015. Massa earned his spot with a 4-and-3 win over Scottsdale, Ariz.'s Drew Kittleson, a match in which he was 7-under-par through 15 holes. The first 18 holes are scheduled to begin at 7:10 a.m., with the second 18 to follow after lunch. Spectators are welcome and encouraged, and parking is available at Kinloch for the match.
"It's nice to have another shot," said Beck, who lost 3 and 2 to Stewart Hagestad in last year's final at Sleepy Hollow in New York. "I feel like I found something those last 8-10 holes, and hopefully I can carry that on to tomorrow."
As Beck returned to Kinloch's clubhouse, sunshine broke through the gray skies that had perpetuated the entire day of action. Beck's semifinal with Behr started in a steady mist that progressed to steady light rain that lasted until the turn. Beck's putter got hot during the front nine, as he drained about a 15-foot birdie putt on 7 and another 20 footer on 8 to race to a 4-up lead. Beck and Behr tied their next five holes with pars before Beck made the clinching birdie putt on 15.
The putter resurgence actually began in his morning quarterfinal match against South Carolina's Connor Doyal. Beck led 3-up early in that match, but Doyal chipped away steadily until tying it on 15. Beck hit an outstanding tee shot to a back hole location on the long par-3 16th and converted the 15-foot birdie putt. On 17, he lagged a nearly 100-foot birdie putt to inside two feet where he made par to tie the hole and keep his 1-up lead going to 18.
On the final hole, Beck caught a mud ball on his second shot on the par-5. Attempting to clear the large penalty area and land in the fairway left of the green, instead he hit a low laser that ended up short and in gnarly rough. He managed to escape, hacking as hard as he could, enough to where he audibly grunted, landing on the green, leading to another great two putt. Doyal, who was playing in his first USGA championship, had an opportunity to stick it close and force Beck into making birdie to win the match. But his pitch went long. Beck had to run his lag putt along the spine of a ridge until it caught the break and dripped toward the hole, finishing just short. Doyal missed his birdie putt, Beck tapped in for par, and the latter survived.
"I've gotten really lucky, and I think you need that in match play to an extent," Beck said. "Very fortunate to come out on the right side of it the last couple of times."
In last year's championship match, Beck fell behind early and trailed 7 down through 21 holes. Though he battled back, the hole was simply too deep and he ran out of holes to catch Hagestad. He learned a valuable lesson from that defeat.
"You've got to come out pretty hot, to be honest," Beck aid. "It's good to get off to a good start. Stewart did that last year, and I'll try to do that tomorrow."
Massa has made a habit of hot starts this week, including in Wednesday's semifinal, where he made five birdies and an eagle in his first seven holes.
"You don't even think about it, to be honest. You just play," Massa said when asked of being in that sort of zone. "You just pick your target and go. Just happened to be in a rhythm and the shots were coming out. So it was good to see."
The winner of Thursday's match will not only receive the Robert T. Jones trophy, but will also receive exemptions into the 2025 U.S. Open and 2025 Masters.
(Evan Beck hits his approach to 18 in his second round match on Tuesday. Credit: Logan Whitton/USGA)
By Chris Lang
MANAKIN SABOT -- As Princess Anne Country Club's Evan Beck put it, match play can get "extremely weird."
His round-of-16 opponent in the 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Kinloch Golf Club, Miami Beach's Michael Buttacavoli, was 6-under par, drove two par-4 greens ... and lost. Beck managed to answer just about every swing Buttacavoli threw on a dreary, drizzly afternoon until he could throw the final counterpunch, hitting a 56-degree wedge on the 21st hole to three feet. Buttacavoli approach into the third extra hole had drifted left, about 35 feet from the hole. Still, he nearly holed that. Once it slipped to the right at the last second, Beck needed only to clean up his short birdie putt to clinch the match and his spot in Wednesday's quarterfinals, where he'll face Connor Doyal of Charleston, S.C., at 7:40 a.m.
"Probably one of the best matches I've ever played in terms of going back and forth in terms of quality of golf shots," Beck said. "I think I'm a grinder. Michael is too. I can't say enough about Michael and how well he played."
Buttacavoli, who won four times on PGA Tour Latinoamerica -- most recently in 2018 -- before regaining his amateur status, was more well rested heading into the showdown, having dispatched John Jonas of Nashville 6 and 5 in the round of 32 while Beck grinded his way to a 1-up win over North Carolina's Jackson Spires in the morning.
The pair remained within arm's length of each other throughout the match, with neither player taking more than a 1-up lead. The true rope-a-dope started on the back nine. On No. 10, Beck bombed in a birdie putt from just off the green, then retreated toward the 11th tee. Buttacavoli answered with a bomb of his own from about 25 feet. As Beck walked up the hill to the tee, he asked what happened. Told Buttacavoli made the putt, he shrugged. Game on.
On 13, Beck hit an iron to the middle of the right side of the split fairway. Buttacavoli hesitated, waiting for the match ahead to clear the green, signaling intent. Once he hit, he lasered a driver 330 yards into the wind, and the ball settled on the right side of the green, 30 feet away. Beck hit the green, Buttacavoli was away, and the latter lagged his eagle putt to kick-in range. Beck missed his birdie putt, and Buttacavoli had the lead again, albeit short lived. He left his tee shot on the par-3 14th short and in the bunker, and was unable to get up and down for par. Beck made a two-putt par to tie the match again.
Buttacavoli hit a masterful uphill approach on 15 to 5 feet, while Beck was in the bunker. Beck couldn't get up and down for par and conceded to birdie to fall behind again. After both players parred the par-3 16th, rules officials informed them that they were four minutes behind pace and out of position and that they would remain on the clock for the remainder of the match. Beck missed his approach on 17, flaring it to the apron right of the green, and showed visible frustration to being put on the clock for the second time in the match. He managed to get up and down for par, but Buttacavoli had a chance to end the match with a long birdie putt, which missed.
On the par-5 18th, Buttacavoli made a rare mistake, leaving his pitch to the green short of the top level. Beck meanwhile, was just short of the left greenside bunker and needed to flop a ball close to set up a kick-in birdie. With an awkward stance -- left foot on the grass edge of the bunker, right foot in it -- Beck nearly holed out. Buttacovoli missed his long birdie and the match moved to extra holes.
Beck survived some trouble on the 20th hole (No. 11), pitching from the rough hole high to kick-in range as Buttacavoli missed a birdie putt, setting up the winning approach on the 21st. Though he doesn't show much in the way of outward nerves during matches, Beck said he definitely feels them.
"It definitely matters. It's important to me," Beck said. "It's part of the fun."
Beck and past champion Scott Harvey were the biggest names to survive a difficult day at Kinloch. Defending champion Stewart Hagestad and 2022 winner Matthew McClean were both ousted in the round of 32, as was top seed and stroke play co-medalist Segundo Oliva Pinto. Beck, last year's finalist looking to make another deep run, managed to survive to see another day.
Wednesday's quarterfinals (semifinals to follow in the afternoon)
(Jordan Utley on Tuesday morning at the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Credit: Logan Whitton/USGA)
Photo galleries: USGA | USGA gallery featuring Beck and Utley
By Chris Lang
MANAKIN SABOT -- Princess Anne Country Club's Evan Beck made nine birdies in the second round of stroke-play qualifying at the 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship on Sunday at Kinloch Golf Club, but that well has seemingly dried up as the format switched to match play. He came to the 18th hole on Tuesday morning in a steady downpour looking for his first birdie of his round-of-32 match against North Carolina's Jackson Spires. He delivered at the right time, his 80-yard wedge approach into the green on the par-5 finishing hole settling a foot from the cup. After Spires failed to sink his long birdie putt, he conceded Beck's putt, giving the No. 2 seed a hard-earned 1-up victory.
Beck returned to the course in the afternoon to face No. 15 seed Michael Buttacavoli of Miami in the round of 16.
The other remaining Virginian in the field -- Hermitage Country Club's Jordan Utley -- bowed out in the round of 32 as he dropped a 4-and-3 decision to No. 8 seed Bobby Massa of Dallas.
Overall, the round of 32 featured plenty of carnage for top seeds and past champions. The No. 1 seed and stroke-play co-medalist, Segundo Oliva Pinto, fell in 19 holes to North Carolina's Will Minton, who advanced on Monday by holing out from the fairway on the 19th hole of his first-round match. Defending champion Stewart Hagestad lost to Will Davenport of Florida, and 2022 champion Matthew McLean dropped his second-round match to Parker Edens, the head men's golf coach at South Dakota State University.
ROUND OF 32 (Virginia players)
(2) Evan Beck d. (31) Jackson Spires, 1 up
Neither player could get anything going on a cool and at times drizzly morning. The first two holes were tied with bogeys, and Beck nabbed a 2-up lead without making a birdie, winning with pars on 3 and 8. Spires made the first birdie of the match on the par-4 9th to cut into the lead, and tied the match with another birdie on No. 11. Beck and Spires tied the next six holes, setting up the dramatic finish on 18. Beck hit his drive to the left side of the split fairway and laid up to a number short of the green on the left side of the fairway. Spires found himself in trouble off the tee, down a hill in the rough near the large penalty area spanning the middle of the hole. His only play was to chop up to the right side of the fairway, and his third shot sailed long toward the back of the green. Beck meanwhile stuck his approach to a foot, and Spires' missed birdie putt led to a match-ending concession.
(8) Bobby Massa d. (25) Jordan Utley, 4 and 3
Utley was well aware the challenge he faced on Tuesday morning. He knew Massa was a prodigious hitter, a fact that was clearly evident on the second hole when Massa outdrove Utley by 70 yards. (Both players hit their approach shots to roughly the same spot, however.) He also knew Massa was coming off a quarterfinal appearance at this summer's U.S. Amateur.
With that in mind, he also knew he couldn't have lapses like he did on the front of of their match. He three putted two consecutive greens and lost both holes, and though Utley got one back on 7 when Massa hit an uncharacteristically awful tee shot that failed to clear the front of the penalty area, Utley was playing catch up the rest of the match. Utley lost No. 9 when his drive hit the giant tree right of the start of the fairway. With the ball lost, he had to play his provisional ball, and Massa won the hole with a bogey.
"Just really lost that momentum having that three-putt on 5 and then the additional three-putt on 6," Utley said. "You're just handing a really good player shots, and you can't just do that. ... You've seen me play a lot of match play, and what I hate the most is beating myself, and I felt like there was a lot of that today, unfortunately."
Down the stretch, Massa showed he was more than just a long hitter, displaying a complete game, hitting close approaches, making putts, generally not giving Utley a window to rally. Massa took a 4-up lead on No. 12 and closed the match with a two-putt par on No. 15.
"That's why it was important for me not to lose those holes early and at least stay in it," Utley said. "When he's hitting wedges all day and I'm hitting 4- and 5-irons, it's just hard. He's a tremendous player with tremendous pedigree. His length is a huge asset because when it's so soft. I had good looks on 11 and 12 that could have put pressure on him. But I didn't make mine and he made his. The nine holes between 4 and 12, the putter just wasn't there for me."
Though the defeat stung, Utley found plenty of positives from his performance this week. Playing in his first solo USGA championship -- he partnered with Dustin Groves at a U.S. Amateur Four-Ball -- he was steady in stroke-play qualifying and won a match.
"I'm super pleased," Utley said. "I've got to put it in perspective. There are a lot of positives to take away. I'm proud of what I've done. On the flip side, I've always wanted the opportunity to play against the best. I got to play against one today and just came up short."
Also, despite the weather conditions, the Hermitage membership showed up to support Utley on Tuesday, a welcome sight as he tried to navigate his way through the match.
"With this weather, and this being such a long, tough walk, it's great to see those guys out there," Utley said. "It meant a lot. I didn't necessarily expect it, but every time a new guy showed up, it was appreciated."
(Jordan Utley and Austin Langdale shake hands after Utley's 1-up win in the round of 64 on Monday morning. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
MANAKIN SABOT -- Richmond's Jordan Utley left a tricky long birdie putt in tap-in range on the 18th hole Monday afternoon at Kinloch Golf Club, close enough to earn a concession from opponent Austin Langdale of South Carolina a 1-up victory in the round of 64 at the 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. Later in the afternoon, stroke-play co-medalist Evan Beck of Virginia Beach opened an early 3-up lead on Cody Paladino before cruising to a 5 and 3 victory.
Utley advances to a 7:20 a.m. round-of-32 match on Tuesday against Dallas' Bobby Massa, the No. 8 seed. Massa routed Doug Albers of Kansas City, Mo., 7 and 5. Beck, the No. 2 seed, will face Jackson Spires of North Carolina, the No. 31 seed, at 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday. Winners advance to the round of 16 on Tuesday afternoon. Both players will start on No. 1. Due to anticipated inclement weather, the round of 32 will feature a double-tee start off Nos. 1 and 10. The round of 16 in the afternoon will be a single-tee start off of No. 1.
For full field tournament coverage, visit the USGA.org championship website link at the top of this post. Of note, top seed Segundo Oliva Pinto of Argentina needed to win the last two holes of his match against Justin Kaplan to advance to the round of 32. Kaplan survived a five-hole playoff just to make the match play field. Other notables to advance included defending champion Stewart Hagestad and past champions Matthew McClean and Scott Harvey.
(25) Jordan Utley d. (40) Austin Langdale, 1 up
Utley (Hermitage CC) missed out on a golden opportunity to extend a 1-up lead at the turn. He drove his tee shot into the middle of the fairway on the par-4 9th and watched as Langdale piped his drive left into a red penalty area. Though Langdale was able to find the ball, it was plugged to a point where the ball was unplayable. Utley's long approach into the green drifted right into a bunker, and he was unable to get up and down for par. Meanwhile, Langdale hacked out to the fairway and got up and down for bogey, claiming a critical tie to remain just 1 down.
Fast forward to the 18th hole, and a similar scenario unfolded. Both players reach the left side of the split fairway of the par-5 hole off the tee. Utley was first to hit and laid up to a number on the other side of the fairways. Langdale found more misfortune on his second shot, hitting it into a penalty area full of tall heather, where his ball was unable to be found after a three-minute search. Forced into another penalty stroke, he found the green on his fourth shot but was still a good 25 feet away from the hole. Utley's third shot landed about 30 feet out, and he lagged his putt into tap-in range. Knowing he could do no better than par, he conceded the putt, ending the match.
MATCH NOTES
QUOTING
(2) Evan Beck d. (61) Cody Paladino, 5 and 3
Beck (Princess Anne CC) won No. 3 with a birdie, No. 4 with a par, and No. 5 with another birdie to take a 3-up lead and never had to sweat against Paladino, who could never get anything going Monday afternoon. They tied the next eight holes as Beck used a conservative approach, focusing on fairways and greens while forcing Paladino to attack to cut into the deficit.
On the par-3 14th, Beck's tee shot went long, leaving him a lengthy birdie look. Sensing an opportunity, Paladino attacked the flagstick but came up just short, landing in the front greenside bunker. Beck was out and lagged his putt to about four feet. Paladino failed to get up and down from the bunker, and Beck went 4-up with four to play by sinking his par putt. Both players hit the center of the fairway on the par-4 15th. Beck was first to hit and stuck his uphill approach to about eight feet. Paladino's approach came up short, and when he failed to hole out from the apron, he conceded Beck's putt, sealing Beck's 5 and 3 win.
MATCH NOTES
QUOTING
(Evan Beck tees off on 10 at Kinloch GC on Sunday. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
MANAKIN SABOT -- Princess Anne Country Club's Evan Beck got up and down from the front right greenside bunker on 18 for birdie on Sunday evening at Kinloch Golf Club, clinching a 6-under-par 65 for the round and a two-day aggregate of 8-under 133 to share medalist honors at the 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship with Argentina's Segundo Oliva Pinto.
Pinto opened with a 3-under 68 on Saturday at Kinloch before posting a 5-under 65 on Sunday at Independence. They finished a stroke clear of three competitors -- past champion Scott Harvey of North Carolina, Philadelphia's Andy Butler, and South Dakota's Parker Edens.
Hermitage Country Club's Jordan Utley joined Beck in match play. Utley followed his 3-under 67 at Independence on Saturday with a 1-over 72 on Sunday at Kinloch and finished in an 11-way tie for 17th place.
A 14-for-12 playoff to determine the final match-play spots will begin on Monday morning at 7:10. The opening match of the round 64 will begin at 8 a.m. Utley will be seeded 25th and face No. 40 seed Austin Langdale of South Carolina at 8:30 a.m. Beck will be seeded second and play at 1 p.m. against a TBD qualifier from the morning playoff.
Six other VSGA members competed this weekend but did not advance to match play.
NOTABLE
Final results for other VSGA members
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(Jordan Utley celebrates his birdie on No. 6 at Independence on Saturday. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
MIDLOTHIAN -- Past U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Scott Harvey of North Carolina and Maryland's Nick Barrett posted rounds of 64 on Saturday as play concluded in the first round of stroke-play qualifying at the 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.
Harvey posted his 7-under round at Kinloch Golf Club, which is playing as a par 71. Barrett returned a 6-under 64 at Independence Golf Club, which is playing as a par 70. They are a stroke clear of Canadian Connor Lyon, who posted a 6-under 65 at Kinloch that included an eagle on closing 18th hole.
For full championship coverage from the USGA's communications staff, please click here.
Richmond's Jordan Utley posted the best round of the eight-player VSGA contingent, a 3-under 67 at Independence that leaves him tied for seventh heading into Sunday's second round. That was one shot better then two-time State Open of Virginia champion Evan Beck, who was runner-up in last year's U.S. Mid-Amateur. Beck posted a 2-under 68 at Independence. Both Bruno Buccolo and Brinson Paolini shot 2-over 72s at Independence and are still in striking distance of the match-play cut line.
NOTABLE
Full Virginia leaderboard
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