BRANDON, Vermont (July 17, 2025) – Eli Spaulding is having himself quite the month of July. One week after winning a second consecutive Maine Amateur title, the rising sophomore at Loyola University (MD) rallied in the final round with an 8-under-par 64 on Thursday to finish 14-under total and capture the 96th New England Amateur title at Neshobe Golf Club.
Spaulding (Brunswick Golf Club) became the first golfer representing Maine to win the title since Reese McFarlane prevailed in 2018. He also became the sixth individual from The Pine Tree state to earn the title.
For the second straight year, the final round saw the champion pull off an incredible rally. Spaulding knocked down nine birdies total, including on holes 15-17, for a 30 on the back nine. His efforts held off a bogey-free 64 from 2009 champion Matt Parziale (Thorny Lea Golf Club), who finished tied second place at 12-under total with Day 1 leader and Holy Cross standout Alex Elia (Silver Spring CC-CT).
Spaulding had been knocking on the door of this tournament the past two years, placing T10 in his home state in 2023, followed by a T5 finish the year after in New Hampshire. After he shot consecutive rounds of 69 in the opening rounds this week, he began the final day T7 with Cooper Griffin (Woodland Golf Club), who aced the 17th on Wednesday.
His lone mistake Thursday was a bogey on the par-3 12th but finished with birdie on four of the final six holes to leapfrog the rest of the leaderboard.
Before this week, Spaulding had already punched his ticket to the U.S. Amateur Championship, set for August at the prestigious Olympic Club in San Francisco.
Parziale, the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, came close to winning a second title as he saved his best effort for last. He shot 32 on each side of the course, with consecutive birdies on 4-5, 8-9, and 16-17.
Elia, meanwhile, shot 3-under on the front nine to earn a share of the lead in his round but shot 2-over on the inward nine to close with a round of 71. Hingham’s Drew Golden (Black Rock CC-MA), a Lehigh University commit, also got within one shot of the lead but was 2-over on the final five holes to shoot 72 and finish in solo seventh at 8-under total.
Defending champion CJ Winchenbaugh (Oyster Harbors Club-MA) was the next-best Massachusetts finisher at 5-under, good for T12, with Zach Pelzar (Weston Golf Club-MA).
The top twenty and ties from this year’s championship are exempt into the 97th New England Amateur Championship, set to take place at GreatHorse in Hampden, Massachusetts, site of the 2025 Massachusetts Amateur Championship. Massachusetts players who earned that exemption by finishing 2-under total or better included: Will Spring (Concord CC), Alan Rose Oyster Harbors Club, Max Ash (Weston GC), Cooper Griffin (Woodland GC), and Wrentham native Ryan Scollins, who was representing Bald Peak Colony Club (NH).
Stay Informed
Visit MassGolf.org and follow @PlayMassGolf on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube for the latest information on Mass Golf & New England Golf Association championships and events. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #MassGolf.
