Eli Spaulding is heading to the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship for the second year in a row after once again winning the Maine Amateur Golf title on Thursday.
Spaulding, a Freeport High School graduate and rising sophomore at Loyola University Maryland, won his second straight state amateur championship on Thursday at Waterville Country Club with a 2-under final round of 68 to cement his victory, according to his college.
“This one, I’d say, means just as much as last year,” Spaulding told WGME’s Dave Eid after the win. “Waterville’s a tough course, so it felt good to just keep it all together and finish with a great round today.”
The 19-year-old, whose home course is Brunswick Golf Club, held off Luke Ruffing of Waterville Country Club to win this year’s 54-hole tournament by one stroke, according to the Midcoast Villager.
Spaulding has now qualified for the U.S. Amateur competition for a second straight year. This year’s national amateur championship will be held at The Olympic Club in San Francisco from August 11-17.
The Maine Amateur win follows a strong first college season for Spaulding in which he was the top-ranked freshman in the Patriot League, according to Loyola Maryland.