Dobbelaar defeats local Van Paris for North & South win

It was just three weeks ago that Louis Dobbelaar become the first Australian to win the Dogwood Invitational and has now added the North & South Amateur to his impressive resume.

The 19-year-old Queenslander defeated local favourite Jackson Van Paris, 17, at the first extra hole in what was a close tussle the entire round with neither player gaining more than a two-shot advantage.

Louis Dobbelaar (Credit: Pinehurst/John Patota)

“This place is extremely special to me and to my family. 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 told Pinehurst’s Alex Podlogar.

Founded in 1907, Pinehurst No.2 has played host to numerous majors including a PGA Championship, three US Opens, three US Amateurs, a US Women’s Open and the 1951 Ryder Cup.

Michael Campbell famously won the 2005 US Open over Tiger Woods there while fellow Kiwi Danny Lee claimed the US Amateur title in 2008.

“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.”

Dobbelaar’s win means he will now become part of the storied history at Pinehurst himself with his own locker in the North & South Amateur locker room along with his name on the Perpetual Wall in Pinehurst’s History Hall.

Dobbelaar, who plays out of Brisbane’s Brookwater Golf Club, now has six wins to his name over the past two years including the Australian Amateur earlier this year after taking home the Tasmanian and Queensland Amateur titles in 2020 and the Port Phillip Open Amateur in late 2019.

Western Australian Karl Vilips became an unfortunate casualty of Dobbelaar’s march to victory. The 19-year-old coming up against his fellow Aussie in the round of 8 and going down to Dobbelaar after earlier dominating their match and finishing second in the strokeplay section of the tournament.

Queensland’s Jed Morgan, who like Dobbelaar is an Australian Amateur champion, bowed out in the round of 32 to Ben Carr, 4&3.

Connor McKinney and Jordan Doull failed to progress past the strokeplay rounds.