Mass Golf’s Regan and Connecticut’s Capalbo Top Leaderboard, Have their Teams In Front On Day 1
BERNARDSTON, Massachusetts (August 17, 2026) – Monday marked the start of this year’s New England Junior Amateur Championship, once again being held at the Crumpin-Fox Club, located in Bernardston, Mass.
Every year for the competition, each state brings five girls and seven boys to compete. In a team-and-individual stroke play format, with five boys’ scores and three girls’ scores counting toward the team total each round. Separate team and individual champions will be crowned Tuesday, when the final 18 holes begin at 9 a.m. (shotgun start).
This year, wet conditions made this August Classic a little bit more interesting, with dew and soft ground making the steep terrain even more challenging.
On the boys’ side of things, Rocco Capalbo (RIGA) impressed carding a 3-under performance over today’s 36 holes. In the morning, Capalbo started on the fourth hole, making 2 birdies within his first 9 holes. After that, he got himself to three under, but two late bogeys had him finish with a 1-under 71.
For his second round of the day, Capalbo started on the 11th, quickly making birdie to start his afternoon. From there he’d remain relatively steady with a bogey and two birdies for an afternoon 2-under 70.
Two strokes off the lead, and the solo second belonged to Zac Georgantas (Mass Golf), who stormed up the leaderboard thanks to a 4-under 68 during his second round. Georgantas’ first round was less than ideal, featuring 6 bogeys or worse. Despite this, he managed to finish round three over.
Zac Georgantas hits a tee shot at the Mass Junior Amateur (David Colt)
As his second round kicked off on the seventh hole, he remained quiet with seven straight pars. After that, he birdied four of the next six holes before bogeying his 15th (3rd) hole. Ending on a birdie, Georgantas finished the day one-under.
The Boys team championship has Team Rhode Island in the lead with a 14-stroke lead over Mass Golf and Team Connecticut just four strokes behind them as they head into the final day.
For the Girls division, Team Massachusetts holds the top three spots, with Ryley Regan holding the top seed. After turning in a five over morning round, she bounced back rifling off a two under performance in the afternoon, highlighted by an eagle on the 17th hole.
Ryley Regan hits a tee shot at the Mass Women’s Amateur (David Colt)
Just a few shots back of her is fellow Mass golf teammate Callie Crean. The Holy Cross committee had a steadier day, turning in a 75, then 76, respectively. Her second round of the day was highlighted by back-to-back birdies on the 9th and 10th holes.
The Girls Team Championship: Team Massachusetts holds a 10-stroke lead over Team Connecticut.
About Crumpin-Fox Club
In December 2023, the New England Golf Association made a historic announcement by naming Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston as the permanent host of the New England Junior Amateur Championship from 2025 to 2027. Crumpin-Fox hosted the 2019 Mass Junior Amateur Championship and the 2025 Mass Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship, plus several qualifying events in recent years.
Crumpin-Fox, which takes its name from the area’s old Crump & Fox Soda Company, features several standout holes that weave through dense forest and lots of elevation change. Roger Rulewich completed the first nine holes working with Robert Trent Jones in 1977 and returned to complete the entire course in 1990. The signature hole (No. 8) featured an elevated tee shot to a fairway flanked entirely on the left by a lake. The golfer then has the option of laying up, leaving a mid- to long-iron shot to the green, or playing the heroic shot of trying to reach the green in two.
Crumpin-Fox Club, located just south of the Mass-Vermont line in Western Massachusetts, is hosting the New England Junior Amateur through 2027. (Teddy Doggett)
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