TOP US AMATEUR UIHLEIN TURNS PRO TO PLAY IN EUROPE

Peter Uihlein, the 2010 U.S. Amateur champion Walker Cup team player in the match at Royal Aberdeen last September, has decided to turn pro and signed with Chubby Chandler’s International Sports Management, the British agency announced today.

Uihlein, who will officially turn professional on January 1, will make his pro debut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and play on the European Tour and Challenge Tour next year.

"I had a great 3 1/2 years at Oklahoma State. The school and the program were great for me, and I believe I contributed to the program’s tradition. (But) I wanted to have the full calendar year to start the next chapter in my life and not start midseason. The coaches at Oklahoma State understood my decision,” Uihlein said in a statement.

The decision to turn pro represents a change of heart for the son of the Acushnet CEO. The Oklahoma State standout tried unsuccessfully to get through both the US PGA and European Tour Q-School as an amateur. Uihlein had said he would return to school for his senior year, regardless of the outcome in either tournament.

"It is a pioneering move by him – the obvious step would have been to try to establish his career in the United States," Chandler said in a release.

"But having seen players like Lee Westwood, Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and Darren Clarke build careers by playing all over the world, including America, Peter has been encouraged by that. I'm sure that he will benefit enormously from the experience."

Seven guaranteed invites will give Uihlein a head start

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE

By Alistair Tait

Peter Uihlein will have no trouble getting the seven invites he needs to try to get his European Tour card next year, Uihlein’s agent Andrew “Chubby” Chandler admitted to Golfweek.

The only date in Uihlein’s diary so far is the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in January, when he will make his professional debut. However, Chandler said Uihlein will get seven starts by the spring.

“He’s guaranteed to play seven European tournaments by April,” Chandler said. “I’m confident of that.”

The two-time Walker Cup player (2009 and 2011) is allowed seven sponsor invites on the main European Tour. If in those seven invites he equals or betters the money earned by the 115th and last player to get a tour card this year, then he can play an indefinite schedule. Ireland’s Damien McGrane earned €258,939 for finishing 115th this season, so Uihlein will be aiming to make over €260,000 in seven starts.

“He’s got to pick it up and hit the ground running,” Chandler added. “You have to when you’ve only got seven starts. He’s a good enough player but he’s happy to play the Challenge Tour if he doesn’t get his card through the seven. It should be easier for him on the Challenge Tour.”

Uihlein is also allowed seven invites on the Challenge Tour, but doesn’t have to earn as much money to keep playing that circuit. Uihlein needs to earn the equivalent of 80th place on this year’s Challenge Tour money list to play more than seven tournaments on Europe’s junior circuit. 
Switzerland’s Andre Bossert placed 80th on this year’s Challenge Tour money list with €19,963. So Uihlein will be looking to earn around €20,000 from his seven invites to play a full season on the Challenge Tour. The top 20 on the Challenge Tour receive cards for the 2013 European Tour.

Chandler first talked about signing Uihlein a year ago when he had a conversation with Peter’s father Wally, the chief executive officer of Acushnet. However, it was only in the last month that Uihlein committed to ISM.

“Peter and Wally agreed that it would be better for him to play in Europe to start his career, and since we have very good contacts around the world, then it was a good fit for Peter and us,” Chandler said

“We’ve obviously known about Peter for a long time and he’s a great player. I think he wanted to play in Europe because he’s seen how the game is going global. I spoke to Wally about a year ago and I think he and Peter wanted to start in Europe because it would be better for his game.

“I think it’s good that Peter has decided to get out of his comfort zone and come to Europe and play different courses and go to different countries. I believe players become more adaptable by traveling. By playing the European Tour it should prepare Peter for life on the PGA Tour when he decides to go for his PGA Tour card.”

Uihlein is the second American male golfer to join the ISM stable recently. Former Arizona State player Scott Pinckney joined ISM this summer and got his card at European Tour Q-School last week. Christina Kim is also an ISM client.

Stanford alum Dodge Kemmer is a client as well, with Kemmer being the first American to win on the EuroPro Tour.

“We have a bigger profile in the United States right now because of what our players have been doing. We’ve opened an office over there and will be signing more," said Chandler.

PGA PRO + CLUB CAPTAIN QUALIFIER AT CRAIL ON AUGUST 24

The Scottish qualifying round of the 2012 Lombard Challenge (PGA pro + club captain pairings) will be held over Crail Golfing Society's Craighead Links on Thursday, August 24.
There are 10 regional venues in all, providing 10 qualifying pairs for the £25,000 Grand Final. This year's Grand Final was held at Antalya Golf Club, Turkey.
The 2012 venue has still to be confirmed.

JIM FURYK SQUEEZES INTO MASTERS FIELD AS WORLD No. 50

FROM THE SKY SPORTS.COM WEBSITE
Jim Furyk secured a 17th consecutive appearance at the Masters next year after finishing the year in the top 50 of the world rankings.
The American scraped into the field in 50th place, edging out Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa who must try to qualify by other means.

South African Ernie Els is another player still to 'win' an invitation after slipping outside the top-50 for the first time since 1993, standing three places behind countryman Retief Goosen.
Els has played in every Masters since 1994.
The two-time US Open champions can still clinch a trip to Augusta by winning a US PGA event not staged opposite a World Golf Championships tournament in the first three months of 2012, or breaking back into the top 50 after the Arnold Palmer Invitational, staged two weeks before the Masters.



TOP 20 WORLD PRO RANKINGS AT THE END OF THE 2012 GOLF YEAR

You can measure how much a player has improved or deteriorated by comparing his 2011 final placing with the figures in brackets which were their final 2010 positions

1 (9) Luke Donald (Eng) 10.03

2 (1) Lee Westwood (Eng) 8.06

3 (10) Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 7.77

4 (3) Martin Kaymer (Ger) 6.55

5 (24) Adam Scott (Aus) 5.50

6 (7) Steve Stricker (USA) 5.33

7 (14) Dustin Johnson (USA) 5.27

8 (38) Jason Day (Aus) 5.07

9 (34) Charl Schwartzel (SA) 5.06

10 (213) Webb Simpson (USA) 5.03

11 (13) Matt Kuchar (USA) 4.71

12 (35) Nick Watney (USA) 4.70

13 (6) Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 4.55

14 (4) Phil Mickelson (USA) 4.48

15 (47) KJ Choi (Kor) 4.31

16 (11) Ian Poulter (Eng) 3.88

17 (78) Sergio Garcia (Spa) 3.87

18 (30) Justin Rose (Eng) 3.85

19 (19) Hunter Mahan (USA) 3.76

20 (8) Paul Casey (Eng) 3.73

2012 EUROPEAN TOUR INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULE

JANUARY5-8 Africa Open East London GC, East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa
12-15 Joburg Open Royal Johannesburg & Kensington GC, Johannesburg, South Africa
19-22 Volvo Golf Champions The Links at Fancourt, George, South Africa
26-29 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Abu Dhabi GC, Abu Dhabi, UAE
FEBRUARY
2-5 Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy Doha GC, Doha, Qatar
9-12 Omega Dubai Desert Classic Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE
16-19 Avantha Masters DLF G&CC, New Delhi, India
22-26 WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship Ritz-Carlton GC, Dove Mountain, Marana, Arizona, USA
MARCH  
8-11 WGC - Cadillac Championship Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Doral, Florida, USA
15-18 Open de Andalucia de Golf TBA
22-25 Trophée Hassan II Golf du Palais Royal, Agadir, Morocco
29-1 Apr Sicilian Open Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sicily, Italy
APRIL
5-8 MASTERS TOURNAMENT Augusta National GC, Georgia, USA
12-15 Maybank Malaysian Open Kuala Lumpur Golf &Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
19-22 Volvo China Open Binhai Lake GC, Tianjin, China
26-29 Ballantine's Championship Blackstone GC, Icheon, Seoul, South Korea
MAY
3-6 Open de España Real Club de Golf de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
10-13 TBC TBC
17-20 Volvo World Match Play Championship Finca Cortesin, Casares, Andalucia, Spain
17-20 Madeira Islands Open Santo da Serra, Madeira, Portugal
24-27 BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP  Wentworth Club, Surrey, England
JUNE
31-3 ISPS Handa Wales Open The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales
6-9 Nordea Masters (Saturday Finish) Bro Hof Slott GC, Stockholm, Sweden
14-17 US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP Olympic Club, San Francisco, USA
14-17 SAINT-OMER OPEN presented by Neuflize OBC Aa Saint Omer GC, Lumbres, France
21-24 BMW International Open  Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof, Cologne, Germany
28-1 Jul The Irish Open TBA
JULY
 5-8 Alstom Open de France  Le Golf National, Paris, France
12-15 The Scottish Open Castle Stuart Golf Links, Inverness, Scotland
19-22 THE 141st OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP Royal Lytham & St Annes, Lancashire, England
25-28 Austrian GolfOpen (Saturday Finish) Diamond CC, Atzenbrugg, Austria
AUGUST
2-5 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational Firestone CC, Akron, Ohio, USA
9-12 US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Kiawah Island Golf Resort, (Ocean Course), South Carolina, USA
16-19 TBC TBC
23-26 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles  The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland
SEPTEMBER
30-2 Sept Omega European Masters Crans-sur-Sierre, Crans Montana, Switzerland
6-9 KLM Open Hilversumsche GC, Hilversum, The Netherlands
13-16 Italian Open Royal Park I Roveri, Turin, Italy
20-23 Madrid Masters TBA
28-30 THE 2012 RYDER CUP The Medinah Country Club, Illinois, USA
OCTOBER
4-7 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Old Course, St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Scotland
11-14 Portugal Masters Oceânico Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura, Portugal
18-21 Andalucia Masters TBA
18-21 Perth International Golf Championship Lake Karrinyup Country Club, Perth, Australia
25-28 TBC
NOVEMBER
1-4 WGC - HSBC Champions TBA, China
8-11 Barclays Singapore Open Sentosa GC, Singapore
15-18 Hong Kong Open Hong Kong GC, Fanling, Hong Kong
15-18 SA Open Championship Serengeti Golf Club, Ekurhuleni, South Africa
22-25 DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, UAE

TOM LEWIS IS NAMED SIR HENRY COTTON ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN TOURTom Lewis, who made history in October by winning on his third professional start on The European Tour, today followed in the footsteps of his home club’s most famous figure, Sir Nick Faldo, by being named as The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year for 2011.
The 20 year old Englishman from Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire claimed the prestigious award 34 years after six-time Major Champion Faldo also received the accolade before going on to become the most successful English golfer of all time.
“I appreciate this honour very much. It certainly tops off what has been an amazing year,” said Lewis, speaking from the sunshine island of Mauritius where he took part in the Mauritius Open. Tom Lewis is pictured on right on holiday on Mauritius by Phil Lewis.
“I think my dad is more excited about me winning this award than my first Tour victory in October! I am very proud to be named The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year and I feel very fortunate as there were some strong contenders for this title who played consistently well all season.”
Lewis, who shot to prominence with his opening 65 in this year’s Open Championship at Royal St. George’s – the lowest round by an amateur in The Open’s history and one which gave him a share of the lead – produced the same score in the final round of the Portugal Masters three months later to win on his third professional outing, the quickest victory by an Affiliate Member in Tour history.
In between those historic rounds, Lewis played his part of the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup side’s victory over the United States at Royal Aberdeen before joining the professional ranks and producing a top-ten finish in his first event, the Austrian GolfOpen presented by Lyoness.
He then finished 70th in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship before going on to record his maiden success in Portugal which set up the platform for a final placing of 66th in The Race to Dubai with earnings of €459,266.
To put the achievement in perspective, Tiger Woods required five tournaments to land his first professional title, while Rory McIlroy did not taste success until his 38th European Tour event.
Lewis paid tribute to his father and coach, Brian, a former Tour professional, who has been an influential presence during his son’s rise through the amateur game into the professional ranks.
“I might not even have been a golfer if it wasn’t for dad, but he has definitely made me into the golfer I’ve become. He is really the person who made this possible.
“It’s been a rollercoaster year. I didn’t perform very well in the first half then had the honour of playing with Tom Watson in the first two rounds of The Open, managing to share the first round lead. It was wonderful to win the Silver Medal and shoot 65 in the first round, but I think people will remember the 65 in Portugal because it secured my first professional win.
“It only really hit me when I arrived at the airport to fly home when everybody was saying ‘well done’. It was something I could scarcely have believed at the start of the season. It was a great year and a privilege to be part of the winning Walker Cup team in my final amateur event. But now I have a two year exemption on The European Tour and can’t wait to get started in 2012.”
Lewis was the choice of a panel comprising The R and A, The European Tour and the Association of Golf Writers, ahead of several strong candidates from the 2010 Challenge Tour including Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen and Scott Jamieson of Scotland, who both finished ahead of Lewis in The Race to Dubai, having qualified for the season-ending Dubai World Championship presented by DP World.
Olesen enjoyed three joint second place finishes in accumulating €637,703 to finish 48th in The Race to Dubai, while Jamieson shared third place on three occasions to finish the year with earnings of €523,754 and 59th place in The Race to Dubai.
Lewis is the 47th recipient of The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award, stretching back to 1960, and the 22nd Englishman, following several illustrious fellow countrymen including the aforementioned Faldo, Tony Jacklin, Peter Oosterhuis, Mark James, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey. Chris Wood was the last English winner in 2009 while Lewis succeeds 2010 winner, Italian teenager Matteo Manassero.