Then, after four years as a pro golfer, including gaining status on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica, Evan was hitting balls on the range when he felt his back pop. The injury was devastating. Evan took time away from the game and went to work for an investment consultant group in 2018 while meeting with doctors from Virginia to South Carolina to Texas. He finally found what he was looking for in St. Louis, MO, where the year-and-a-half-long search for a solution to his potentially career-ending back problem finally paid off. Gradually returning to golf, Evan also returned to form. In 2021, he won his second State Open of Virginia. He also won the VSGA Mid-Amateur Championship, and the Eastern Amateur Championship that year and again in 2022, also racking up a win at the George C Thomas Invitational Mid-Amateur.

Bobby Jones, co-designer of Augusta National and co-founder of the Masters—himself a legendary amateur golfer with nine USGA championships to his name—was a strong believer in the importance of amateur golf to the future of the game. He made sure that the Masters would always include top amateur players and true to his word, it always has, going back to the very first Masters tournament in 1934.

While an amateur has never won the Masters, several have achieved notable finishes, including runner-up and top-ten results. Will 2025 prove to be the year that an amateur finally breaks through? We’ll be keeping our eye on Evan Beck April 10-13 at Augusta.