BRANDON, Vermont (July 15, 2025) – Alex Elia made himself right at home in Vermont on Tuesday. The Holy Cross rising junior from Connecticut fired an 8-under-par 64 Tuesday at Neshobe Golf Club, grabbing the early lead at the 96th New England Amateur Championship.
Despite the sizzling start, his margin is slim. A flurry of red numbers, particularly in the afternoon wave, trimmed Elia’s lead to just two shots heading into Round 2 at the first-time host course.
Lafayette College rising senior Harry Dessel (Rhode Island CC) is giving the closest chase after carding a 5-under 30 on the back nine to shoot 66. Emory University’s Zach Pelzar (Weston GC-MA) used a streaky stretch to post 67 and tie for third alongside Anthony Guerrera (Watertown GC-CT).
In the field of 144, 30 players finished Day 1 under par, while 49 were at least even through the first 18 holes.
Playing Neshobe Golf Club for the first time in competition, Elia posted the lowest opening-round score at the New England Amateur since Matt Parziale (Thorny Lea Golf Club) fired a 65 at Baker Hill Golf Club (NH) in 2015. The Connecticut native who plays out of Silver Spring Country Club sandwiched an eagle on the 11th between a pair of bogeys but then proceeded to birdie holes 14-17 and added another eagle on the 8th to build on his lead.
It’s a promising start for Elia, who placed T8 last year and T21 the year before. His only missteps Tuesday came on the par 3s, where he made bogey on three of four, though he did pick up a birdie on the par-3 17th to gain back one stroke.
“It was one of those days where you kind of feel like you got it all under control, and you don’t really have to scramble for anything,” said Elia, who finished two strokes shy of the course record.
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Pelzar, coming off a run to the Round of 16 at the 117th Massachusetts Amateur, caught fire with three straight birdies on holes 14–16, the last of the trio a drivable 285-yard par-4. He repeated the feat on holes 1–3 before giving all three shots back on 4–6. However, an eagle on the par-5 8th capped off his 67. Guerrera, a former Post University standout, finished three groups behind Pelzar at 5-under thanks to birdies on holes 6–8.
Former Holy Cross golfer Matt Williams (Boston Golf Club) is among the Massachusetts players in contention with a 2-under 70 through Round 1. That matches Trinity College’s Aidan Monahan (Winchester Country Club), Ryan Riley (The Haven Country Club), and Ryan Kelley (Worcester Country Club).
Defending champion CJ Winchenbaugh (Oyster Harbors Club) finished with a pair of birdies on 8-9 to move to 1-under in a tie with Parziale (the 2009 champion), Oliver Paddon (South Shore CC), and Christopher Morrow (The Milton-Hoosic Club).
The second round begins at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. The low 60 players and ties will advance to the final round Thursday.
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Neshobe Golf Club is a scenic 18-hole, par-72 championship course in Brandon, Vermont, stretching 6,446 yards through rolling farmland and forested hills about 50 miles south of Burlington. Though surrounded by mountain views, the course avoids the extremes of typical mountain layouts, with no blind shots or steep elevation changes, which presents a more classic and strategic test.
This week marks Neshobe’s debut as a New England Golf Association championship host. The club previously hosted the 2011 Vermont Amateur. As for local success, Vermont has produced four New England Amateur champions: Shawn Baker (1989), Hans Albertson (1990), Evan Russell (2013), and Jared Nelson (2022).
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