NW Briefs | Olympia's Peck wins U.S. Junior Amateur

SHOAL CREEK, Ala. — Cameron Peck, 17, of Olympia won six of the first eight holes against Evan Beck, 17, of Virginia Beach, Va., and went on to claim the U.S. Junior Amateur title with a 10-and-8 victory Saturday.

It was the largest margin of victory since the event went to a 36-hole final four years ago.

"I don't think it has sunk in yet," said Peck after he closed out Beck with a winning par on the 28th hole. "This is the biggest win in my life."

Peck, a senior-to-be at Timberline of Lacey, won three of the first six holes on the 7,251-yard, par-72 layout with birdies. He added another birdie on the eighth hole from 12 feet to go 6 up.

Beck finally won the 10th hole and cut Peck's margin to four holes by winning the next as well. But that was the end of Beck's rally and the last hole he would win.

"It still kind of stings," said Beck, who was an alternate for the 156-player field until four days before the championship started. "But I made the finals and that's pretty good. I was putting great up until today, but I had only one birdie today and that doesn't do it."

Peck regrouped and pushed his lead back to 6 up by winning two of the last three holes before the morning break. He stole the par-3 16th with a par after Beck made a bad chip and snatched the next hole with a birdie by sticking his wedge shot on the par 5 to within 18 inches.

"I like where I'm standing," said Peck at the break. "I'm just hitting good wedge shots and sticking them to give myself a chance to make birdies."

He won the second, fifth, ninth and 10th holes of the afternoon. He closed out Beck with a winning par on the 414-yard 10th hole, two-putting from 18 feet.

Peck, who reached the championship match with a come-from-behind win over Dominic Bozzelli, 17, of Pittsford, N.Y., in Friday's semifinal round, earned a spot in the 2008 U.S. Amateur, beginning Aug. 18 at Pinehurst No. 2.

Notes

• Cara Linnenkohl of Redmond's Bear Creek School won the silver medal in the junior women's single sculls in 7 minutes, 58.89 seconds at the 2008 FISA World Rowing Junior Championships in Linz, Austria.

• Ashley Corral, a graduate of Prairie High School, near Vancouver, scored eight points for the U.S. women in a 96-51 victory over Brazil in the FIBA Americas U18 championship game in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

• Poulsbo's Ryan Villopoto posted the top time (2:16.868) in the first practice session for the AMA Motocross Lites class at The Motosport.com National at Washougal Motocross Park.

Compiled from sports-information reports and other sources.