Queensland Amateur Championship

By Tony Durkin

Redcliffe's Doug Klein, who finished fifth in last year's Isuzu Queensland Open at The Brisbane Golf Club, is the 2017 Queensland Men's Amateur Champion.

And 14-year-old Hye Park, of Royal Pines, is his female contemporary after beating Min Kweon in a see-sawing final played out in windy conditions this afternoon at Bribie Island's Pacific Harbour course.

Klein, who was runner-up in last year's event to Dylan Perry, is just the second Queenslander to have won his own state title in the past eight years. The two-year Queensland Men's State Team member and current Redcliffe club champion, Klein beat New Zealander Inia Logan 2&1 in a final that looked to be his after he won two of the opening three holes.

But the situation became a little tighter at the turn for the 2014 Golf Queensland Junior Male Amateur Golfer of the Year, and although the contest was back to square at the tenth, he still felt he was in control.

"I always thought I had the momentum with me," said Klein.

"My game has been in great shape all week and I hit some really good shots today."

While Klein is an experienced 19-year-old golfer with four years representing Queensland in inter-state events on his CV, Hye Park is at the opposite end of the golfing scale.

A Year Seven student at Trinity College on the Gold Coast, she has been living in Australia just this year under the tutelage of Nancy Harvey at Royal Pines. Hye started playing golf in Korea at age eight, and since moving to Australia has lowered her handicap from four to scratch.

And although she won her first major title finishing with two bogeys, she was proud of the manner in which she bounced back from a poor start.

"I lost the second and third holes - I was very nervous," she said, conceding her putting in the final had been 'just okay'.

"But I drove the ball very well."

Klein paid tribute to his new coach, Wayne Rostrum, who he said had his game 'working a treat'.

"Wayne and I started working together at the start of the year and, apart from helping me with a few swing issues, he has been really good for my mental approach," he said.

The 16 lowest scores from the Queensland Men's and Women's Stroke Play Championship, which were decided on Tuesday, qualified for the respective Amateur Championships, which were decided by matchplay.

Watch tournament highlights on the Golf Queensland Facebook page.

Earlier matchplay results:
Men's - Kade McBride (seeded 1) beat Joel Stahlhut (16) 5&3; Jed Morgan (15) beat Charlie Dann (2), 6&4; John Lyras (3) beat Tyler Duncan (15) 4&3; William Heffernan (4) beat Connor McLachlan (13) 2&1; Doug Klein (5) Andrew Richards (12) 3&2; Lochie Coleborn (6) beat Naoki Sekito (11) 2&1; 7) Inia Logan (10) Louis Dobbelaar (7) won 3&2; Jackson Dick (9) beat Chris Crabtree (8) 3&2.

Quarter finals - Lochie Coleborn beat John Lyras 4&3; Inia Logan beat Jed Morgan 2&1; Doug Klein beat William Heffernan 1up; Kade McBride beat Jackson Dick 2&1.

Semi-finals - Inia Logan beat Lochie Coleborn 2&1; Doug Klein beat Kade McBride 2&1.

Final - Doug Klein beat Inia Logan 2 &1.

Women's - Cassie Porter (16) beat Becky 2&1; Grace Kim (2) beat Gabriela Ruffles (15) 1up;
Min Kweon (14) beat Deedee Taylah Russell (3) 5&4; Hye Park (13) beat Lisa Edgar (4) 1up;
Rhianna Lewis (5) beat Mia Lines (12) 2&1; Suenghui Bong (11) beat Momo Sugiyama (6) 6&4; Ka Yeon Park (7) beat Monica Johnson (10) 3&2; Alexandra Hilliard (8) beat Kono Matsumoto (9) 3&1.

Quarter finals - Min Kweon beat Suenghui Bong 2&1; Ka Yeon Park beat Grace Kim 5&4; Hye Park beat Rhianna Lewis 4&3; Cassie Porter beat Alexandra Hilliard on the 19th.

Semi-finals - Min Kweon beat Ka Yeon Park 3&2; Hye Park beat Cassie Porter 5&4.

Final - Hye Park beat Min Kweon 1 up.