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Louis Dobbelaar arrived at the North & South Amateur on one of the hottest runs in amateur golf, winning four of his last 10 events to become the top-ranked Australian in the world.
You can add a fifth title to his recent tear. Dobbelaar, 19, outlasted local favorite Jackson Van Paris in 19 holes of the championship match on Sunday at Pinehurst No. 2, clinching the victory with a clutch par save from behind the first green.
“This place is extremely special to me and to my family,” Dobbelaar told Pinehurst.com. “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.”
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Dobbelaar came into the week ranked No. 48 in the world, 500 spots ahead of where he started the beginning of 2020. Wins at the Australian Amateur, Dogwood Invitational, Tasmanian Amateur and Queensland Amateur have vaulted him forward into the spotlight, and his win against Van Paris will go down as one of the more memorable North & South Amateurs in recent times.
Most of the crowd on hand was there in support of the 17-year-old Van Paris, a Vanderbilt commit who was trying to become the first Pinehurst, North Carolina, local to win the tournament since Jack Fields in 2011. Van Paris had been on a magical run the entire week and continued it into the last match, chipping in on No. 7, draining a 40-foot birdie putt on No. 9, making birdie from the native area on No. 12 and deftly saving par from the right of the 14th green to take a 2-up lead with four holes remaining.
However, that lead wouldn’t last. Dobbelaar saved par on both the 15th and 16th holes while Van Paris pulled his approach shots on both holes and couldn’t save par. With the match tied over the last two holes, Dobbelaar cleverly got up and down on both 17 and 18 to send the match to sudden death where it ended on the first extra hole.
“Hats off to Louis. He never really gave me any breathing room,” Van Paris said. “I chipped in and made a 40-footer and played pretty good golf, and still didn’t beat him. It was an incredible match. He’s a great champion.”
Results
Sam Choi, a junior at the University of New Mexico, shot 9-under 207 to capture the Maridoe Amateur Championship on Thursday at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas.
The Seoul, South Korea, native shot even-par 72 in the final round to secure his lead, defeating Brian Stark and Kiernan Vincenty by two strokes. Choi is up to No. 21 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings on the strength of a win at the New Mexico-West Texas Amateur and top-five finishes at the Mountain West Championship, Men’s NIT and Arizona Intercollegiate.
RESULTS
Staff and Wire Reports