Queensland’s Louis Dobbelaar has a fight on his hands to keep his men’s US Amateur dream alive at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania tonight (Australian time).

The 19-year-old Dobbelaar, the reigning men’s Australian Amateur champion, was two down through 14 holes of his round-of-64 match against American Ross Steelman when darkness halted play.

The tournament has been blighted by bad weather and organisers are scrambling to have it finished on schedule by Sunday. Play will resume at 7.30am tomorrow (late tonight AEST).

Brookwater’s Dobbelaar has had a barnstorming tour of the US this year, winning the Dogwood Invitational and the North South Amateur. He has also won the Queensland and Tasmanian Amateur titles in 2021.

At Oakmont, he shot a second-round 66 yesterday to qualify for the matchplay phase in 48th seeding, following a disappointing first-round 76.

When the matchplay phase began, he made two birdies in his opening three holes to take the early lead over Steelman, but the American birdied the fifth, ninth, 10th and 13th in a high quality match to take control.

Scoring