Reigning Australian Amateur champion Louis Dobbelaar has won the prestigious North & South Amateur at historic Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.
Dobbelaar came from 2 down with four holes to play against local favourite Jackson Van Paris and before a big, partisan crowd.
But the Queenslander won the 15th hole with a par, then the 16th with a birdie to square the match. After a great par save at the 18th to extend the contest to a 19th hole, Dobbelaar closed it out with a scrambled par after Van Paris bogeyed the first extra hole.
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Brookwater’s Dobbelaar is the first international-born player to win the men’s North & South since 2004. Another Aussie, Gabriela Ruffels, won the women’s section in 2019. He also won the Dogwood Amateur on this trip to the United States.
“This place is extremely special to me and to my family,” Dobbelaar said. “It hasn’t really sunk it in yet, but there’s nothing better than winning at a place like Pinehurst… There’s history everywhere you look.”
Dobbelaar will now have his name enshrined on the Perpetual Wall in Pinehurst’s History Hall as well as a dedicated locker in the North & South Amateur locker room.
“This was a hell of a game,” Dobbelaar said. “I really appreciate the match. It was cool to put on a bit of a show with a lot of people around. That’s just a testament to Pinehurst.”
PHOTO: John Patota/Pinehurst Resort
