HAMPDEN, Massachusetts (July 16, 2026) – For the first time in 22 years, the New England Amateur Championship has been defended. With a Final Round of 68 (-4) at GreatHorse, Eli Spaulding (Brunswick GC; ME) hoisted the Harry B. McCracken, Jr. Trophy once again.
Spaulding’s winning total of 11-under-par was good for a two-shot victory over Emil Nielsen (Weston GC; MA) and Caden Piselli (Great River GC; CT), both of whom finished at 9-under.
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Thursday’s Final Round began with Spaulding holding a one-shot lead over Joey Lenane (George Wright GC; MA) and Caden Piselli. Lenane got off to a hot start with a birdie on the first, tying Spaulding’s lead, and setting the tone for the day.
Piselli then birdied the second hole to pull even with the leaders, but as he would do time and time again, Spaulding jumped back ahead. A 25-foot birdie putt on No. 3 followed by a tap-in birdie on No. 5 gave Spaulding some much-needed breathing room.
The action picked up again at the turn when Lenane hit a perfect 8-iron from 189 yards on No. 9. The towering iron shot landed a few steps right of the pin before grabbing the slope and working down towards the hole, and dropping for a hole-in-one. The ace erased some early bogies and pulled Lenane back into the mix, a few back of Spaulding.
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Not to be outdone, Piselli rattled off 4 birdies and an eagle over the next 6 holes. But Spaulding welcomed the challenge, using it to fuel a run of his own.
“I think it kind of helped me for Caden made that run, that like six-hole stretch where he had four birdies and an eagle,” said Spaulding. “It kind of helped me to have a guy right there with me and I’m like, “You know what? Like, I can’t slow down, you know. I have to keep going through my process and really keep being aggressive because if I just start making pars, I’m probably not going to win.””
Hole No. 14 was a perfect example of that when Piselli hit a beautiful shot onto the green, setting up a 15-foot eagle putt, which he would make. Spaulding responded a minute later, pouring in a 6-foot birdie putt of his own to stay tied atop the leaderboard.
Late in the day, it turned into a two-horse race between Spaulding and Piselli. The two made matching birdies on the short par-3 15th, with both nearly making an ace of their own in the process.
“And then 15, you know, is playing pretty short today,” recalled Spaulding. “But at the same time, you still got to step up and hit a really good, precise shot. Caden made his birdie, and Joey was right next to me, so I got a good line from him, and I was able to drain that one, too.”
But it was No. 16 that eventually decided the Championship. Both players hit their tee shot within 40 yards of the green. After some tidy wedge play, Piselli’s 7-foot birdie putt failed to drop, while Spaulding made easy work of his 3-footer for birdie. The lead was then extended on No. 17 when Piselli’s par putt burned the edge, setting up a rather anti-climactic final hole.
Both players finished with a bogey on the last, giving Spaulding the 2-stroke victory. Thanks to a late run of birdies Emil Nielsen matched Piselli’s total of 9-under, good for matching runner-up finishes.
Top Position By State:
CT: Caden Piselli – 67-71-69 (-9)
MA: Emil Nielsen – 71-69-67 (-9)
ME: Eli Spaulding – 64-73-68 (-11)
NH: Josiah Hakala – 70-73-73 (E)
RI: Bobby Leopold & Mike Calef (+1)
VT: Garren Poirier – 71-71-76 (+2)
WHAT’S NEXT:
The 2027 New England Amateur Championship will be contested in Connecticut. The venue is TBD.
