Eli Spaulding looks for three-peat at Maine Am golf tournament
Eli Spaulding Aims for a Maine Amateur “Three‑Peat” at Sanford Country Club
In a field of 132, 20‑year‑old Eli Spaulding is set to defend his title at the 107th Maine Amateur, which will run from Tuesday through Thursday at Sanford Country Club. The 2024 champion, who last year won by four strokes at Waterville Country Club after a two‑stroke victory at Purpoodock Club in 2024, is looking for a third straight win to match Caleb Manuel’s 2021‑23 run.
Spaulding grew up at Brunswick Golf Club, the same course that produced Manuel, the former three‑time champion. “I’m a pretty close friend of mine,” Spaulding said of Manuel, “We grew up playing golf together. To win three in a row and get a three‑peat, it certainly wouldn’t be too bad to follow in his footsteps.”
The upcoming tournament will test the players on a course with “thin fairways and thick rough” that demands accuracy. “I think this course is a little more complicated than that. I’m trying to hit to a certain spot, a certain number that I like,” Spaulding said. He plans to “keep driver in the bag in favor of target golf” to ensure he’s playing from comfortable distances.
Other top contenders include Ron Kelton, who finished second last year and has placed no worse than third in each of the past four seasons. Kelton, one of the field’s shorter hitters but most accurate, said the layout will “keep scores in check” and warned that the fairways—average 25 yards wide versus the PGA Tour’s 28—will be “penalizing” if players stray. “If I play my game, hitting fairways and hitting greens, that itself is going to make me jump the field,” he added.
Luke Ruffing, who led into the final round last year, and Mick Madden, a junior at Cheverus who recently won the World Series of Junior Golf in Rhode Island, also contend. Madden, who tied for third among Maine amateurs at the Maine Open, praised Spaulding as “an amazing player” and noted that the field is “pretty even.” “There are a lot of really good players,” he said.
Spaulding’s recent form has been strong. After winning the New England Amateur and the Philadelphia Amateur in June—where he survived five match‑play rounds as the 11th seed—he says confidence and patience are his key assets. “I feel like I have a bit more momentum going into this week,” he said. “I’ve been playing really good, patient golf. It’s easy when your game feels so good to come into events with really high expectations for yourself and the result. But my game is at a point, and I’ve been in these scenarios enough, where I just need to let my game come and trust that everything’s where I want it to be.”
The tournament promises drama. With a course that rewards precision and punishes mis‑shots, Spaulding’s ambition to repeat, Kelton’s consistency, and the presence of a deep field of local talent, the 107th Maine Amateur is poised to deliver a memorable contest for regional golf fans.
