Taylor Bellemare captured the 2026 Vermont Mid-Amateur Championship at Rutland Country Club, navigating four days of stroke play and match play to earn the title.
The championship began Wednesday, August 12, with 68 players competing in an 18-hole stroke-play qualifier for 32 spots in the match-play bracket.
Playing on his home course, Garren Poirier earned medalist honors with a 2-under 68. Phil Fairbanks of Mountain View Country Club finished one shot back with a 69, while Rutland Country Club’s Max Major shot an even-par 70.
Bellemare, representing Ekwanok Country Club, opened the championship with a 3-over 73 to earn the No. 8 seed for match play.
With the field cut to 32, Bellemare began his run to the title with a 3 & 2 victory over No. 25 seed Brock Paquette in the Round of 32.
In the Round of 16, Bellemare faced No. 9 seed Walker Allen. Bellemare took control of the match and earned a 5 & 3 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.
That set up a matchup with top-seeded Poirier, who had cruised through his first two matches after earning medalist honors during qualifying. Bellemare knocked off the No. 1 seed with a 3 & 1 victory, securing his place in the semifinals.
Bellemare then faced No. 4 seed Cody Semmelrock of Williston Golf Club. Semmelrock had defeated Jamie Bender 2-up in the quarterfinals to earn his spot in the final four. Bellemare continued his strong play in the semifinals, defeating Semmelrock 5 & 4 to advance to the championship match.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 15 seed Andrew Kimbell of Woodstock Country Club put together an impressive run of his own. Kimbell advanced through Phil Fairbanks, Brian Flynn and Nick Ojala on his way to earning the second spot in the final.
Bellemare struck first in the championship match, making birdie on the opening hole to take an early 1-up advantage. Kimbell answered by winning the third, but Bellemare quickly regained the lead on the fifth.
Kimbell made birdie on the ninth to close the gap, sending Bellemare to the back nine with a 1-up advantage. Bellemare responded immediately with a birdie on No. 10 to push his lead back to 2-up.
Kimbell continued to battle, making birdie on the 13th to once again cut Bellemare’s advantage to one.
The match remained tight late into the back nine before Bellemare delivered the decisive blow on the 17th. A birdie on the penultimate hole closed out a 3 & 1 victory and secured the 2026 Vermont Mid-Amateur Championship.
Bellemare’s championship run included four consecutive match-play victories by at least a 3 & 1 margin before defeating Kimbell in the final. After entering match play as the No. 8 seed, he defeated the No. 25, No. 9, No. 1, No. 4 and No. 15 seeds on his way to the title.
Taylor Bellemare — Road to the Championship