Freeport’s Eli Spaulding is having a memorable summer.
Not only did he win the Maine Amateur golf tournament for the second straight year, he then went on to capture the New England Amateur a week later.
He became the first Maine golfer in 34 years to win the Maine Amateur and New England Amateur in the same year. Sean Gorgone did it in 1991.
Spauldilng, who will be a sophomore at Loyola University in Maryland, won the New England Amateur in dramatic fashion by notching birdies in seven of his last 10 holes.
He shot a final round eight-under par 64 at the Neshobe Golf Club in Vermont to win by two strokes. He had nine birdies and one bogey.
He shot a 14-under-par 202 over the three rounds. He had 69s in the first two rounds.
He played the back nine in 10-under-par over the three days.
Matt Parzale from the Thorny Lea Golf Club in Massachusetts and Alex Elia from the Silver Spring Country Club in Connecticut shot 204s to tie for second.
Elia held a five-shot lead over Spaulding entering the final round but shot a 71.
Spaulding was the first Maine golfer to win the New England Amateur since Reese McFarlane in 2018 and he was the sixth Mainer to win it dating back to 1926.
Brian Bickford, the executive director of the Maine Golf Association, pointed out that Spaulding came from behind to win both Maine Amateurs and the New England Amateur.
Bickford said to win the Maine Amateur and New England Amateur in the same year is rare.
“And the way he did it, to come back and shoot a 64, was remarkable,” said Bickford. “He can heat up pretty quickly.”
Spaulding was a three-time state Class B champion at Freeport High School (2021, ‘22 and ‘23).
“He has a great short game and he can really putt,” said Bickford. “He knows his game. He knows where to place the ball in order to make a run.”
Spaulding is set to compete in the U.S. Amateur championship at The Olympic Club in San Francisco from Aug. 11-17.
“He is a great golfer and an even better guy. He is very positive,” Bickford said.
