Boy from Brisbane becomes youngest winner of NZ Amateur

Louis Dobbelaar

The trophy will show Louis Dobbelaar as the winner of the New Zealand Amateur Championship but it will not reveal the marathon path he took to get there.
Dobbelaar became the youngest winner at age 15 of the New Zealand Amateur in the tournament’s 123-year history but he had to survive some hectic battles to get there.
In the first round of matchplay, after two rounds of strokeplay on the previous two days at the Royal Wellington Golf Club at Heretaunga, he found himself in the first of three great tussles.
Dobbelaar, from Brisbane, chipped in to break a deadlock that went to the second extra hole.
Then in the quarter- and semi-finals Dobbelaar knocked out two of the tournament’s top chances, the Waikato pair of Nick Coxon and Luke Toomey.
An extra hole was required before Dobbelaar triumphed over Coxon in the quarter-final and his match against Toomey in the semi-final went to a dramatic three extra holes.
Dobbelaar holed a flop shot on the 21st hole to beat Toomey. Dobbelaar said it was the stand-out moment of the tournament for him.
“The shot of my week was really the chip-in in the semi-final,’’ Dobbelaar recalled.
“I never thought the ball would get to the hole but it just kept on rolling.”
Dobbelaar’s opponent in the final was Peter Spearman-Burn from Wellington who was out to emulate his twin brother Thomas.
Thomas Speaman-Burn had won the same tournament when it was held at Paraparaumu Beach, north of Wellington, in 2008.
Peter Spearman-Burn had spent a short time as a professional before regaining his amateur status and at age 27 there was no question in the minds of many that his experience would prevail over the young gun.
And that’s the way the match appeared headed for much of the 36-hole final. Spearman-Burn was never behind in the first 18 holes and went into the second 18 holes with a one up lead.
After the 29th hole Spearman-Burn had taken a three up lead and victory was now looking a formality.
But the wheels fell off over the next five holes. Spearman-Burn bogeyed each of them to find himself two down with two play.
Then on the 35th hole Spearman-Burn and Dobbelaar both had pars to provide the Brisbane boy with a 2 and 1 victory.
Despite the youth of Dobbelaar he found it a tiring week.
“Now, I just want a good sleep... eight rounds in five days is a lot of golf, even for me,” he said afterwards.
“It feels crazy, the last six holes I thought I had a chance but somehow I battled it out and got the result.
“It’s so cool to have a big crowd and it is definitely the biggest win of my career so far, but hopefully there can be a few more.”
Dobbelaar was no stranger to the Royal Wellington course. His grand parents live just several hundred metres from the club’s front gates and he had played the course a number of times beforehand.
“My dad’s family live just across the road so I love coming here when I get the chance and feel really comfortable,” he said.
“I didn’t do anything spectacular to win the final, just make my par putts when it got tight at the end.”
Dobbelaar had won the Queensland Boys’ Amateur Championship the previous year, a tournament that had in the past been won by the likes of Greg Norman, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Cam Smith.

Rose Zheng with her trophy following the New Zealand Amateur at Royal Wellington

In the women’s division of the tournament, Rose Zheng showed age was no barrier as she disposed of her fellow Auckland teammate and captain Munchin Keh, winning by 3 and 2.
The 14-year-old became the second youngest in history to win the championship behind world number one Lydia Ko.
“I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it and I don’t know what to say,” Zheng said.
“It means so much to me and I hope this can be a big boost for my future. Winning my first Jennian Homes Charles Tour event was also a huge booster last week, so I am pretty happy.”
Although the margin of victory was dominant, it wasn’t smooth sailing for the Pakuranga member after Keh carded three birdies in four holes early in the second round to bring the match back to even. But for Zheng her to bounce back and finish off the match was a clear sign she is a talent and one to watch for the future.
The Royal Wellington club now looks forward to the same time next year. That’s when the club hosts the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, easily the biggest amateur tournament in this part of the world.