Meet the 6 State Amateur winners in New England

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Author

Sean Melia
July 18, 2025

Hole 7 at Woodland GC

Hey Everyone,

Checked off two more courses this week, getting the total to 153. I played Pine Oaks in Easton on Tuesday. A nine holer with some good holes and an easy walk. It’s also connected to Joe and Leigh’s, a great golf store with a massive collection of used clubs.

Then on Thursday morning, I played Woodland GC in Auburndale. It’s the home of the final round of the Ouimet Invitational every year. What a solid golf course. There are no “huh?” holes and no real bangers, just a good set of 18 holes. Really enjoyed it.

I will be doing some coverage of the Ouimet Invitational next week. It runs from July 23-25. The first two rounds are at Wollaston GC in Milton.

Paid subscribers will get full access to a preview that includes players to watch in all three divisions (men, senior, women), interesting holes on both courses, and intriguing tee times. Paid subscribers also get early access to all my course reviews, along with bonus content on each preview.

The Open Championship is my favorite major. I say it during Masters week, PGA week, and U.S. Open week. I love the type of golf. I love the crowds. I love waking up to golf in the morning. I love the visuals. I love the random guys who find themselves on the leaderboard.

It’s the best.

I hope this week shapes up to be a great one. Some incredible potential storylines.

Let’s get to news and notes and meet the six players who won state amateur championships this year.

News and Notes

Pro Golf

🏌️ Keegan Bradley shot 72 (+1) in the opening round of the Open Championship. He’s two under for his round this morning as I type this and sitting at -1 (T18). Live Scoring

🇫🇷 Megan Khang finished T21 in the Evian Championship last week. Leaderboard

🌽 The (deep breath) Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Hiland Dairy Foods is going on down at Highland Springs Country Club in Missouri. Live scoring

Amateur Golf

🏆️ Eli Spaulding won the New England Amateur this week at Neshobe CC in Vermont. After winning the Maine Amateur for the second striaght year last week, Spaulding continued his stroke play heater. He shot 69-69-64 and beat Matt Parziale and Holy Cross golfer Alex Elia by two shots. Results

🤯 Jack Cheever shot a 58 at Marion GC in the MassGolf Young Golfers’ Championship. He won the one-day event created for golfers 13 and under. Here’s the MassGolf Recap.

🏌️ Ryan Downes shot 76-71 in the first two rounds of the Southern Amateur at Blessings Golf Club in Arkansas. The two-time Mass. Amateur champ made the cut on the number and will play two more rounds in the Elite Amateur Series event. Live Scoring

🇺🇸 A.J. Bodnar (North Andover, Mass.), Jack Carew (Newbury, Mass.), and Lukas Schleyer (Westminster, Mass.) will play in the U.S. Junior Amateur starting on Monday at Trinity Forest in Dallas, Texas.

⛳️ Just a quick shoutout to Yvette O’Brien; she won the Connecticut Women’s Amateur by 14 shots this week. She’s an incredibly talented player heading to TCU in the fall.

Plugs

I did a course spotlight on The Ranch in Southwick, Mass. I am creeeeping up on 2k subscribers over there. I would be grateful if you watched this and subscribed!

Meet the Six State Amateur Winners in New England

The winners of each of the six state amateur in New England have been crowned, and they all booked a coveted spot in the U.S. Amateur at Olympic Club in San Francisco next month.

Three of the winners have close ties to Massachusetts. Ryan Downes won the Mass. Amateur for a second time, the Rhode Island state champion, Mike Calef, has two Mass. Amateur titles (2012 and 2013), and Josiah Hakala was the 2024 Mass. Junior Amateur champion.

The winners range in age from 46 (Mike Calef) to 19 (Ryan Downes and Eli Spaulding). Here are each of the winners and how they did it.

Adam Friedman - Westport, Conn.

Adam Friedman has had a collection of close calls over the years. At Shuttle Meadow CC (Kensington, Conn.), he finally broke through and claimed the 2025 Connecticut State Amateur title. In 2021 and 2024, Friedman had reached the quarterfinals and in 2021 he was a semifinalist. At Plymouth CC, Friedman finished two shots behind Jake Shuman in 2024, and this year he finished T7. Maybe a 2024 Connecticut Public Links title gave him the confidence to grab another big trophy.

En route to the final, Friedman shot 68-67 to grab the fourth seed in match play. He beat Anthony Guerrera 2&1, Joe Ensign 5&4, Chris Kono 20 holes, and Ashton Lewis 4&3. In the championship match, the mid-amateur had to face down Bradley Sawka, a UConn player. Some excellent iron play in the morning gave him a 5-up lead heading into lunch. Sawka battled back and cut the deficit to one hole, but Friedman held off Sawka for a 3&1 victory.

Eli Spaulding - Freeport, Maine

Eli Spaulding at the 2024 Hornblower.

The Maine Amateur has been dominated by three names over the last six years - Cole Anderson (2019 and 2020), Caleb Manuel (2021-2023) and Eli Spaulding (2024 and 2025). Spauling stormed back from three shots down to defend his Maine Amateur crown, firing a final-round 68 at Waterville Country Club to finish 4-under for the tournament. He was the only player to finish under par.

Spaulding birdied holes Nos. 3, 6, and 14, and leaned on his iron play and short game to avoid mistakes. Luke Ruffing started the day with the lead but faded with a final-round 75. Ron Kelton finished second at even par, four shots back.

This was Spaulding’s second comeback win in as many years. In 2024, he overcame a four-shot deficit to win at Purpoodock Club.

Spaulding is a decorated Maine golfer. He was a three-time Maine Class B high school state champion and was the 2023 Portland Press Herald Golfer of the Year. He won low junior honors at the 2024 Hornblower. He also helped Loyola Maryland to a Patriot League championship during his freshman year, finishing tenth in the Conference championship individually.

Ryan Downes - Longmeadow, Mass.

Ryan Downes at GreatHorse

Downes cemented his legacy as one of the best amateurs in Massachusetts history. He reached his third State Amateur Championship Match in four years. He was the youngest champion in history when he triumphed in 2023 at Essex CC.

Now, at just 19 years old, Ryan Downes has two Massachusetts Amateur titles. Downes has proven himself an incredible match-play player. Since the 2022 Mass. Amateur, when he lost in the final to Conner Willett, he has a staggering 15-2 record.

Before reaching match play for the fifth straight year, Downes shot 77/70. Then he beat Ben Balter 3&1, Reese Jensen 3&1, and Joey Lenane in 19 holes. The match against Lenane was an instant classic, Downes erased a 3-down deficit with a 31 on the back nine to force extra holes.

In the 36-hole final, Downes beat Patrick Kilcoyne 7&6, never trailing at any point in the match.

Mike Calef - Portsmouth, R.I.

At Rhode Island Country Club on June 27, 2025, former pro-turned-amateur Mike Calef edged out 2018 champion Jake Bauer in a nail-biting 36-hole final, winning 1‑up. His caddie, Bob Murphy, almost had to leave mid-match for his son’s wedding rehearsal—but stayed through the finish, even scooping up Calef’s ball before speeding off to the family event.

On his way to the final, Calef shot 74-74 in stroke play and then beat Brad Valois 3&1, John Drohen 4&3, Joey Iaciofano 1-up, and Ryan Dacey 2&1.

At 46, Calef’s win is a powerful reminder that amateur golf is a lifelong pursuit. His victory not only earned him an entry into the 2025 U.S. Amateur but also a title that no one else can claim - he is a Rhode Island and Massachusetts Amateur champion. Calef won back-to-back Mass. Amateurs in 2012 and 2013.

Michael Walsh - Shelburne, Vermont

Michael Walsh finally broke through after two consecutive runner-up finishes to win the 119th Vermont Amateur at Manchester Country Club. He shot a 5-under 67 in the third round to vault into the lead and closed with an even-par 72 to secure the win.

Walsh, a former Rice University golfer, started the final day trailing defending champion Lucas Politano by two shots. But Politano struggled in the fourth round, shooting 78. Walsh stayed steady, avoiding big mistakes and trusting his game on a course that had stung him in the past. Cody Semmelrock fired a 68 in the final round to jump into second, but Walsh’s cushion held strong.

After the round, Walsh said the tournament was a “battle against myself,” and this time, he won that battle.

Josiah Hakala - New Ipswich, N.H.

Josiah Hakala added his name to the New Hampshire golf history books with a win at the 122nd New Hampshire Amateur Championship held at Rochester Country Club. The 18-year-old from New Ipswich fired a second-round 65 in stroke play to earn co-medalist honors and the No. 2 seed for match play. From there, Hakala was nearly untouchable, showcasing a polished game and calm demeanor beyond his years. In the 36-hole final, he squared off against Ryan Scollins and pulled away late for a 2&1 victory. Hakala trailed early in the final but grabbed control with wins on key par 3s and sealed the match with a par on the 35th hole.

Hakala has quickly become one of the region’s most decorated young players. Last summer, he won the Massachusetts Junior Amateur at GreatHorse and followed it up with a national title at the PGA Boys Golf National Invitational.

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When I’m not golfing…

I’m reading…

🧠 Scottie Scheffler gave quite an answer about life, golf, faith, and family during this press conference that Golf Digest called “The Best Ever.” That’s rubbish (to steal an Irish phrase for this week). It was thought-provoking (and a touch confusing), and Kyle Porter did a nice job breaking it down from his perspective. Read it here.

⛳️ Geoff Shackelford is simply outstanding at collecting information during major weeks and presenting it in clever ways. Go read his newsletter this week - The Quadrilateral.

I’m listening to…

🎼 On the ride out to Wachusett CC last Friday, my buddy Jed put on the Mt. Joy Playlist on Spotify. Very good stuff.

I’m eating…

🫓 Tatte’s Lamb Pita is awesome

🧃 So are their iced tea coolers

🦃 The 99 turkey tips are delicious

I am excited to have a kitchen to cook in again… the current sitch… 👇️ 

I’m watching…

🏌️‍♂️ The No Laying Up Northern Ireland video is superb.

Know someone who might enjoy this newsletter… send it along to them!

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