Batibasaga: 2007 Qld Amateur Champion
IN: News | Queensland Mens | Queensland Amateur Championship (2007) | by Anthony Powter | 11 May 2007
Rika Batibasaga secured his first major amateur title in defeating Kevin Lee, 4&3 in the 2007 Queensland Amateur Championship. Batibasaga was able to hold onto the match, despite a strong charge by Lee midway through the afternoon round of the final.
The turning point in the match came at the 26th hole, when Lee’s approach flew the back of the green to a virtually unplayable position, whilst Batibasaga had made the green in regulation. Lee was unable to recover and the momentum had then swung with Batibasaga winning the next 4 of the 6 holes.
The enormity of Batibasaga’s achievement, which was secured at his home club Indooroopilly, was only starting to set in when I spoke to him shortly after the presentation.
“I stuck to my game plan and hit driver pretty much every where. In the morning round, it was pretty solid golf from both of us. We finished the first 18 holes, one up to me.”
“Then Kevin came out strong in the afternoon. On the 20th hole, he hit one of the best 3 woods I’ve ever seen. It’s a 210 metre par 3 and Kevin hit it to a foot.”
“The next hole he then backed it up with a birdie and I thought 'here we go again’. But then I won 4 in a row. It was that stretch which made the difference. By then it was blowing a gale and I just tried to keep it going.”
“To win with the locals following me this afternoon out there, and there were at lot out, was simply awesome. I am so happy. Full credit to Elliot McCarthy, my caddie, he keep me going as it was a long week.”
Lee, to his credit, had his chances to claim the championship during the final.
“The flyer on the 26th was a real bugger. It was gone. I was playing good to then. I hit a great shot into the 20th with my 3 wood and had a gimme. The next hole I birdied, and I was thinking it was going to be a good afternoon.”
“Rika played well today. It was a good two weeks for me and I learnt about keeping focused, as you play a lot of golf in these events.”
Lee’s scheduled in the immediate future is aimed on trying to qualify for the Korean Tour. The 19 year old hails from South Korea, and has quite a bit to focus upon. Ultimately he would like to play the Asian Tour, before that he hopes to travel to the Nike factory in the US to get properly fitted and gain some experience from playing in America.
“I hope to qualify for both the Asian and Korea Tour in their tour schools. I’ll see how I go. It gives me the opportunity, if I get through it will be a real break for me.”
“If it works well, I hope to combine two tours in Asia, that’s my plan at this stage.”
In contrast, Batibasaga will concentrate on main Australian amateur events, in particular, national selection events.
Winning the Queensland Amateur would have certainly attracted the selectors’ attention. Batibasaga heads to next week’s Keperra Bowl in Brisbane confident with his game, but in the interim the new Queensland Amateur Champion has business to attend to and keeps today’s victory in perspective.
“I played solid and got the job done today. I was 3 under after 33 holes, with nothing special, but just playing one step at the time. I’ve a big day tomorrow with a club comp here at Indooroopilly. It’s call the “cubs versus the bears”, where the old boys take us on. I want to win that one, believe you me.”
“I’ll love to make money from this one day, but you have to take this game one step at the time. As soon as you think you have it, it smacks you in the face.”
Photo – Anthony Powter
