NORTH SUTTON, N.H. – The New England College men's golf team kicked off its 2026 season at home on Saturday afternoon, hosting the NEC Invitational at the Country Club of New Hampshire. NEC competed with both its White and Blue teams, with the White team finishing second and the Blue team placing fifth among six total teams.
The tournament began under partly cloudy conditions with a noon tee time for the first group, which included senior transfer Cameron Sheedy (Nashua, N.H.). Sheedy carded a six-over-par 42 on the front nine, recording two birdies along the way. He followed with a 40 on the back nine to finish with a 10-over 82.
Sophomore Emil Elias (Ekerö, Sweden) headlined the Blue team, shooting a 39 (+3) on the front nine. Elias settled in on the back nine, recording a birdie on hole 13 and parring seven other holes. He capped his round with an eagle on 18 to finish at even-par 72, forcing a playoff with teammate and sophomore transfer Aiden Boule (Concord, N.H.). Elias went on to capture first place in the playoff.
Boule led the White team with an even-par 36 on the front nine. After back-to-back bogeys on holes 12 and 13, Boule battled back with birdies on holes 17 and 18 to return to even par. He finished with a 72 and placed second overall following the playoff.
Freshman Edouard Belval-Turmel (Quebec, Canada) finished sixth overall with a 75. After a birdie on the ninth hole brought him back to even par on the front nine, Belval-Turmel encountered trouble on holes 12 and 15. He responded with a birdie on 18 to card a 39 on the back nine and finish at three-over 75.
Junior Vesse-Wincent Lampen (Espoo, Finland) finished 13th overall after carding a 40 on both the front and back nines for an 80. Sophomore Shane Helman (Parma, Ohio) followed with an 82 to round out the White team's scoring lineup.
The White team finished second with a combined score of 309, six strokes better than its score at last year's NEC Invitational. Salem State claimed the team title with a 302, while NEC edged Keene State, which finished with a 315.
For the Blue team, junior Bryce Sturm (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) finished in the top 20 with an 83. Senior Jack Herron (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) and junior Dalton Gordon (Boscawen, N.H.) also contributed to the Blue team's fifth-place finish, as NEC finished 12 strokes ahead of Albertus Magnus.
The Pilgrims will continue their season on Wednesday at the Tony Mariano Invitational, hosted by Norwich University at the Country Club of Barre. The first tee time is scheduled for 10 a.m.
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