MILFORD, Conn. — Caleb Manuel is showing no signs of slowing down on the golf course.
A little more than a week after winning the Maine Amateur Championship, the 19-year-old Topsham native nearly rallied for the New England Amateur title on Thursday.
Manuel shot a 4-under par 68 in the final round at the Great River Golf Club to finish the tournament at 9-under 207 — one shot behind winner Cody Paladino, of West Hartford.
Caleb Manuel hits a shot on the 8th fairway as caddy Wayne Dorr looks on during the final round of the Maine Amateur Championship at Kebo Valley Club on July 15 in Bar Harbor. Manuel finished runner-up in the New England Amateur this week. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
Manuel trailed Paladino by three shots heading into the final round, and knew he had to make a strong move.
He did, pulling within a shot late in the round, thanks to an eagle on 17. However, it was too little, too late.
“I didn’t leave much out on the course (Thursday),” Manuel said. “I wasn’t trying to put a lot of pressure on myself and just focus on my game. I wasn’t looking at the scoreboard during my round. … My mediocre start didn’t really help, but I’ll never be mad at shooting 9-under in 36 holes of golf.
Jack Brown, who plays out of Nashua (New Hampshire) Country Club, finished 8-under to take third place.
After shooting a par 72 on the first round, Manuel responded with a 5-under 67 on Wednesday to put him in position to contend on the final day.
Manuel finished third in the New England Amateur last year at Concord (Massachusetts) Country Club. He said he was eagerly anticipating another crack at the crown this summer.
“I was pretty excited to come here after my win in the Maine Am,” Manuel said. “It’s been a great past couple of weeks for my golf game. This was an experience I’ll never forget.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.