It was a field that began with 74 earlier this month as the Winkler Golf Club played host to the Manitoba amateur match play championships qualifier.
After two days of stroke play and 36 holes, the 32-man field was set for the match-play portion of the event at the St. Charles Country Club.
Entering the matches as the second-seed, Austin Dobrescu quickly secured a 3&1 win in his first match which was followed with a 3&2 win. After two straight 4&3 commanding wins, the man from Brandon, Manitoba was set to compete in the 36-hole championship final against Jack Werhun who like Dobrescu has played collegiate golf.
After trailing the opening 18 holes by one, Dobrescu re-focused after a quick break and he ended up running away with it near the end of the match as he capped off the championships with a 4&2 win. Werhun came into the match as the 17th seed and in the second round, he beat Marco Trstenjak who was the number one seed entering the matches.
"It's a pretty great feeling. St. Charles is definitely one of my favourite courses in the province so getting the chance to play it a few times in the past few weeks has been great," said Dobrescu. "It really felt like I was playing championship golf because the venue is so gorgeous."
The championship also is the back end of a back-to-back. Austin beat Colwyn Abgrall last season to claim the match play championships at the Quarry Oaks Golf Course.
"It was a really fun week and I'm always excited to play with the best amateurs in the province," continued Dobrescu. "It's a special feeling to know I've won this in two straight years, it's always a great challenge."
Next up for Austin is some practice time as he prepares for the Manitoba amateur championships that'll be played next month at the Minnewasta Golf & Country Club and the Glendale Country Club. Dobrescu was the clubhouse leader after day one when he fired a 68 last year. In the end, the Brandonite finished in second place as Abgrall was 2 under for the week, two better than Austin.
"I think if I keep my head on straight this year and just play my game, I just have a good chance of getting done this year," concluded Dobrescu. "I expect to play well and we'll see if I can get it done."
