The New England Junior Amateur gets underway at Mount Washington Resort Golf Club on Tuesday. The 54-hole event is both a team and individual tournament, making it stand out from the other New England Amateur events each summer.
Seven boys and three girls are selected to represent each of the six New England states. They will play as individuals, vying for the boys' and girls' championships. At the same time, five of the best seven scores from the boys will count toward their team total each round to determine a state winner. The two best scores from the girls' team count toward their team score.
Last year, Connecticut completed an impressive clean sweep of the entire tournament. The Connecticut boys team, led by individual champion Will Lodge, shot an incredible 14-under par as a team, beating runner-up Massachusetts by 27 shots. Lodge won his individual title with scores of 66-72-71 for a 7-under par total. He beat Maine's Eli Spaulding on the third playoff hole.
On the girls' side, Connecticut had a total score of 1-over par, 10 better than Massachusetts. Arabella Lopez, the recent Connecticut Women's Amateur winner, beat Morgan Smith in a playoff for the individual title.
Let's meet the teams for this year's New England Junior Amateur.