Surfers Paradise’s Billy Dowling joined an elite group of players to clinch the Queensland Men's Strokeplay and Amateur titles double in the same year when he triumphed in the matchplay final at Bribie Island Golf Club today.

There was also a first-time winner in the women's event with Royal Adelaide’s Caitlin Peirce continuing her outstanding form in 2023, scoring a 2&1 victory in the final against Sarah Hammett (Emerald Lakes GC).

In a final that featured plenty of birdies, Dowling defeated Will Moody (Avondale GC) 3&2 to back up the Strokeplay title he won earlier in the week.

The 16th hole was an appropriate place for Dowling to finish the final and deny Moody a win on his birthday. All four of the matches the No.1 seed claimed to clinch the Amateur ended at the 16th including a 3&2 success over fellow Golf Australia High Performance Squad member, Royal Queensland’s Quinnton Croker, in the semi-finals.

Earlier in the week, Dowling’s rounds of 66-72-68 allowed him to overhaul Lewis Hoath and win the Men’s Strokeplay Championship by a shot at 10-under in what was his first big victory at open-age.

The 18-year-old had previously won the Queensland Junior Amateur in 2021 and the South Australian Junior Amateur last year.

Today's women’s final between two members of Golf Australia’s High Performance Squad saw each player hold a 2-up lead at one stage with Hammett claiming the first two holes before Peirce fought back to lead by two after nine.

Earlier, Peirce, who made the last 16 to be the leading Australian at both the British Women’s Amateur Championship and US Women’s Amateur Championship over the northern summer, made her way through to the final with a 3&2 victory over Ann Jang (NSW GC) in the semi-finals.

She came into the strokeplay event as the No.2 seed behind Hannah Reeves (The Brisbane GC) who was eliminated by Hammett after a 22-hole duel in the quarter-finals.

Stroke play result, matchplay draws