The third year of a tournament reserved exclusively for Queensland Associates, the Norris Motor Group sponsorship of $25,000 and support of Royal Queensland Golf Club made it the richest one-day prize purse ever for an Associate tournament.

As such, it drew a field of 59 Associates from across the state, Inoue needing to make birdie at the 180-metre par-3 eighth for a round of 3-under 69 and a one-stroke win from Pacific Golf Club’s Campbell Jones (70) and Zane Lowe (70) of Yamba Golf and Country Club.

Winner of the $3,000 PGA Associate & Employer Challenge at Keperra Country Golf Club in January, Inoue admitted that the larger prize purses seem to bring out his best.

“I can show off for money I suppose, don’t I?” Inoue joked.

“When I play Open matches, for some reason, maybe the ease or something like that, maybe I’m not focused enough, but then as soon as there’s a bit of money…

“That’s why it’s so good to have major sponsors like Norris Motor Group and Liberty One so we can play for this sort of money and we can start focusing more a bit.

“Putting was off the chart today. I sunk two or three 25-30-fotters for birdies, the highlight boxing a 25-footer to win it.

“I drove it really well too, probably the best I’ve done in probably about two months, so that really worked out too.”

Inoue moved from Japan to Australia with his family when he was six years old, the family settling down in the unlikely surrounds of a cattle farm in Tenterfield in the New England region of New South Wales.

It was his grandfather who first introduced Inoue to golf, shooting 51 the first time he played nine holes an indicator that he possessed natural talent for the sport.

But it was a knee injury suffered playing rugby league when he was 14 that convinced Inoue to pursue a career in golf instead.

“Not a lot of Japanese or Asian people would have the experience like I did. Mine was a pretty interesting one, let’s just say that,” said the 20-year-old Third Year Associate.

“First nine holes, I shot 51 and I was like, Yeah, righto, this is really fun, I want to do it.

“Back then I was playing league and I did my knee when I was 14 years old. Then I’m like, golf it is, I’ll just play golf.

“Just started to hit it a bit better and better and better and now I’m here.”

While Inoue took the bulk of the prize money, Jones and Lowe did not go home empty handed.

Sponsors Liberty One contributed 10 nights’ accommodation at their Liberty One Apartments in Melbourne for Inoue, five nights for runner-up Jones on a countback, and four nights for third-placed Lowe.

Final scores