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OAKLAND — Call him Maine golf’s comeback kid.

For the second straight year, the final round of the Maine Amateur was winning time for Eli Spaulding.

Spaulding successfully defended his title Thursday, rallying from a three-shot deficit at the start of the day to earn a four-shot victory at Waterville Country Club. Spaulding carded 2-under 68 and finished 4 under for the tournament, four shots clear of Ron Kelton of the Purpoodock Club.

“It’s huge. It means so much to win this thing for the second time,” said Spaulding, who also erased a three-shot deficit in the final round in 2024. “It feels amazing. To be honest, it doesn’t feel too much different (than last year). … I think I’ve worked really hard for this one.”

Kelton shot 4 over and was alone in second place at even par. Luke Ruffing, the leader by a stroke through two rounds, shot a 6-over 76 and slipped to third at 1 over. John Hayes IV (2 over) and Jason Gall (3 over) rounded out the top five.

“Today, honestly, I was really happy with how I hit it,” Kelton said. “But it just had to be adrenaline or something, I was hitting it way farther than I normally do. … It’s the fourth time I’ve been in the final group in the last four years; I’ve finished third, second, third, second. It’s not lack of experience. I think the adrenaline was something I just don’t think I had before.”

The title remained with Spaulding, a rising sophomore at Loyola University Maryland, and Brunswick Golf Club, which has turned out the last five champions. Caleb Manuel won three straight from 2021-23.

“I came into this tournament trying to be the most consistent player,” said Spaulding, who was steady throughout the final round with three birdies and one bogey. “I definitely checked that box off.”

The extent of the comeback went beyond the start of Thursday’s round. Spaulding was 3 over through his first nine holes in the second round, at was 2 over for the tournament, seven shots behind Ruffing.

“(It) kind of took the life out of me,” Spaulding said. “But deep down inside, I knew I didn’t really hit it that bad, it didn’t really feel like 3 over. … I just tried to stick to my game plan, stick to my routine.”

A pair of eagles on his last nine holes Wednesday got him into the top three and Thursday’s final group, and Spaulding quickly began to take control. He rolled in a 16-foot putt for par on the second hole and then birdied the par-5 third, pulling even with Ruffing and Kelton at 3 under.

Kelton moved ahead with a birdie on No. 5, but he overshot the sixth green and bogeyed the hole, while Spaulding made birdie after sticking his 8-iron tee shot from 190 yards.

“The birdie on 6 was huge,” he said. “That was probably my best swing of the day, too. I did exactly what I wanted.”

Spaulding’s lead grew to three on the 10th when Kelton was long again on his approach, leading to double bogey.

“I hit that club on 6 on purpose to be short. I (normally) can’t reach that. And it lands pin high and went over the green; you can’t be there,” Kelton said. “Same thing on 10, I had no envisions of ever being able to go over the green there. And that killed me right there.”

Spaulding all but shut the door on the 14th when he hit a 50-degree wedge from 139 yards to 2 feet for another birdie, increasing his lead to four with four holes to play.

“It speaks to my overall mentality, not getting too high or too low,” Spaulding said. “And to be honest, I kind of like coming from behind. … I just tried to focus on hitting the best shot I could every hole, and it ended up paying off.”

Ruffing entered the day with a one-shot lead over Kelton but struggled while trying to win his first Maine Amateur title. He bogeyed the first hole and double-bogeyed the second. On the eighth, he thinned a shot over the green en route to another double bogey that dropped him three shots back.

“I had two or three blades, and that’s all she wrote,” he said. “I shot 6 over; (those bad shots) cost me four or five shots right there.”

Ruffing birdied the ninth, but he again went over the green on the 10th and wound up with a crushing double bogey.

“I was fighting so hard after 2. I birdied 3, and when I made the double on 8, I birdied No. 9 and fought back,” he said. “And then, just the blade on 10 out of nowhere. I had 130 (left) after piping it 310. It was like ‘Oh. Cool.'”