Newbury, New Hampshire (September 16, 2026) – On the back nine of the second and final day of the New England Senior Amateur, it appeared to be any number of players’ championship for the taking. It was only right that it was Jim Jankowski (Baker Hill GC, NH) who surged to the top of the board with thrilling eagle-birdie-birdie stretch on holes 15 through 17, claiming the first Senior Amateur win for a New Hampshirite on home soil.
Jankowksi also became the fourth player to win the championship proper and earn Super Senior honors, since the Super Senior division was introduced in 2008.
As play came down the back nine on Wednesday evening at Baker Hill, there was little indication of who might emerge from the pack. At one point, six players were tied atop the leaderboard at even par. Then, several players made a spirited push in the closing stretch.
2024 champion Andy Drohen (The Ranch GC, MA) was the first to break from the ranks, birdieing the 18th to grab the clubhouse leaderboard at 1-under. His round of 2-under, 70, was the lowest of the day, and one of just three under par rounds recorded.
Right around that time, Brian Fitzgerald (Longmeadow CC, MA) made birdie on the par-3 17th to jump into a tie at 1-under. He finished off his round of 71 with a par on the last. 2018 champion Jack Kearney (Westover GC, MA) also posted 1-under shortly thereafter.
But it was Jim Jankowski, playing in the final group at his home course, who wrestled the Championship away from the field. Jankowski was co-leader after a first round 70 but struggled to get it going on Wednesday. He bogeyed the 5th and 7th holes to drop back to the pack at even par.
When he arrived at the 15th, birdie looked like a must-have. The par-5 was the only hole playing under par for the field. Jankowski seized the opportunity and then some, notching an eagle three to jump to the top of the leaderboard at 2-under. But he wasn’t done yet. Jankowski proceeded to birdie the par-4 16th, and added another one for good measure on the 17th, capping a 4-under three-hole stretch.
He built himself a three-shot cushion heading into the uphill par-4 18th, which was for the best. After a closing double bogey, he snuck into the winner’s circle with an emotional one-shot victory.
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Opened in 2001, the Rees Jones design sprawls across 260 acres of rolling terrain of the Lake Sunapee area. The course was built into the natural contours of the land with preservation of the existing environment a priority, and the club has earned Audubon Certification.
Per the club’s website:
Baker Hill is named after Benjamin Baker. The original farmhouse, outbuildings, and barns trace their origins back to the eighteenth century. Benjamin Baker, a Revolutionary War hero who fought at Bunker Hill, was one of the earliest settlers in the area. He constructed three barns on the property in the 1780s. Some of the original building materials, including rustic beams, are incorporated into the permanent structures of the Pro Shop and cabin.
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