June 8, 2008

GORDONSVILLE, Va. - Richmond men's golfer Sam Beach used a bogey-free final round on Sunday to win the inaugural Cannon Cup, edging Wake Forest's Dustin Groves by one stroke.

Beach used a final round of 4-under-par 68 at Spring Creak Golf Course - the lowest round of the tournament - to finish at 1-over-par 217. He had shot a 74 and 75 in the first two rounds, but his bogey-free round Sunday left him one shot ahead of Groves and Jerry Burton.

The Glen Allen, Va. native, who just finished his freshman year at the University of Richmond, found the water on the 18th hole putting his one-shot lead in jeopardy. But Beach was able to save par to secure medalist honors at the Cannon Cup.

"I love playing here," Beach said. "The greens are fast but not too fast and there are some generous landing spots on the fairways. But it's a challenging layout. There are definitely spots where you don't want to miss."