- Bay State Golf
- Posts
- C.J. Winchenbaugh set to defend New England Amateur
C.J. Winchenbaugh set to defend New England Amateur
+ Preview and players from Mass. to watch
The New England Amateur kicks off on Tuesday, July 15 at Neshobe GC in Brandon, Vermont.
In recent years, the event has provided some fireworks at different venues. In 2022, Christian Emmerich fired a course record 62 at Alpine CC in Rhode Island to put some serious pressure on the leaders before they even started their final round. However, Emmerich came up just short, as Vermonter Jared Nelson took home the title.
Lenane outdueled his friend John Broderick for a 2-shot win in 2023.
Last year at Laconia CC in New Hampshire, C.J. Winchenbaugh won with an insane closing round of 61, including an albatross on the 13th hole. He would beat Broderick in a playoff.
The 54-hole event heads Neshobe GC. The par 72 plays to a yardage of 6,341, which means birdies will be at a premium, and another round in the low 60s is very possible.
Here are some Bay Staters in the field:
Trevor Drew - Tyngsboro, Mass.

Drew battled with Aidan Emmerich in the quarterfinals of the Mass. Amateur before losing 1 down at GreatHorse last week. The University of Western Kentucky rising sophomore had a good freshman year averaging a 76.38 stroke average over nine events.
Drew Golden - Hingham, Mass.
The Hingham HS star will head to Lehigh University this fall. He earned low junior in the 2025 Hornblower, nearly winning the event, as he finished one shot behind Nick Maccario.
Cooper Griffin - Weston, Mass.

Griffin was on the bag for the Mass. Amateur runner-up, Patrick Kilcoyne, last week. Gilcoyne and Griffin are both members at Woodland GC. Griffin has qualified for U.S. Open Final Qualifying and set a record in the 2024 Ouimet with a closing round 65, the lowest in the tournament’s history.
Reese Jensen - Duxbury, Mass.
Jensen, who just graduated from Milton Academy, will play his college golf at Harvard in the fall. He was named 2024 Independent School League MVP. He reached the Round of 16 in the Mass. Amateur before losing to eventual champion Ryan Downes.
Ben Knott - Weston, Mass.
Knott played in the 2024 New England Amateur and earned an exemption for this year. He teamed up with Ben Balter to win the Mass. Four-Ball in the spring at Marlborough CC and Shaker Hills - his first MassGolf Championship.
Aarav Lavu - Wellesley, Mass.
The up-and-coming junior star shot a bogey-free 59 to win the 2022 Massachusetts Young Golfers’ Amateur and was runner-up in the 2023 Drive, Chip & Putt finals at Augusta National. He is a junior in high school with no current college commitment.
Max McColgan - Lincoln, Mass.
The St. John’s commit finished in the top 20 at the 2024 New England Amateur. He lost to Ben Spitz in the Round of 16 at last week’s Mass. Amateur.
Colin McMahon-Shea - Lexington, Mass.
McHamon Shea finished in third place at last year’s New England Amateur. He plays his college golf at Dickinson and earned one of ten individual spots in the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship. He finished in 96th place, however, he finished the season as the 17th ranked DIII golfer on Scoreboard Clippd rankings.
Emil Nielsen - Wellesley, Mass.
The Santa Clara rising sophomore finished in the top 20 at the 2024 New England Amateur. He was a key part of a Bronco team that reached the NCAA Regionals in May.
Aidan O’Donovan - Somerville, Mass.

O’Donovan is a standout for the University of Rhode Island. He was named Atlantic 10 Golfer of the Week in April 2025. He finished T13 in the 2024 New England Amateur, T16 in the 2025 Hornblower, and missed match play in the Mass. Amateur after rounds of 77-76.
Matt Parziale - Brockton, Mass.

The reigning MassGolf Player of the Year won the 2009 New England Amateur at Portsmouth CC (New Hampshire). He reached the Round of 32 in last week’s Mass. Amateur championship. He won the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur and Massachusetts Amateur and competed in the U.S. Open in both 2018 and 2019, making the cut in 2018 and finishing at the low amateur.
Zach Pelzar - Weston, Mass.
Pelzar just finished a solid freshman year at Emory. He placed seventh at the 2024 New England Amateur. He reached the Round of 16 in the Mass Amateur last week.
Alan Rose - Weston, Mass.

The rising sophomore at Georgetown finished T13 at the 2024 New England Amateur. He had a nice run to the Round of 16 in the Mass. Amateur before losing to Joey Lenane.
Daniel Schwartz - Brookline, Mass.

The 2025 Norfolk County Champion shot 79-73 at GreatHorse and narrowly missed out on match play.
C.J. Winchenbaugh - Weston, Mass.

The Georgetown Hoya pulled the rare New England Amateur double last summer. He won the 2024 New England Amateur with a course-record 61 that included an albatross. then a few weeks later won the New England Junior individual title at GreatHorse. He qualified for the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur where he beat the 2023 runner-up Joshua Bai before losing to the top ranked amateur, Miles Russell, in the Round of 16.
Thank you for your support of Bay State Golf.
Reply