PETER UIHLEIN ... picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c)
FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
American
Peter Uihlein has been awarded the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year
award following a hugely successful first season on The European Tour,
in which he won his maiden title and finished 14th in The Race to Dubai.
The
24 year old is the first player from the USA to win the prestigious
award, and follows in the footsteps of golfing legends such as Sir Nick
Faldo (1977), Sandy Lyle (1978), José María Olazábal (1986) and Colin
Montgomerie (1988) and
more recently Sergio Garcia (1999), Ian Poulter (2000), Paul Casey
(2001), Martin Kaymer (2007) and Matteo Manassero (2010).
Having
turned professional in December 2011 following a glittering amateur
career, Uihlein secured a European Challenge Tour card for 2013 and made
a promising start. He also received several invitations for European
Tour events, and took
advantage of the opportunities to notch top ten finishes in the Tshwane
Open and the Open de España early in the season.
His
season-changing victory came in May, at the Madeira Islands Open,
through which he earned full European Tour playing rights and meant his
schedule changed dramatically for the rest of the year. He continued to
show he could deal with
the step up, finishing tied tenth in both the BMW International Open
and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, before a fine spell in
the second half of the campaign.
In August the Floridian was denied a
second title by a barnstorming finish from Grégory Bourdy in the ISPS
Handa Wales Open where he finished second and he maintained that superb
form at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he came
within a whisker of recording the first 59 in European Tour history at
Kingsbarns in the second round.
The
12 under par 60 helped him tie for the lead after 72 holes, but he was
thwarted by David Howell at the second hole of a sudden-death play-off.
In his next appearance on The European Tour, Uihlein tied for fifth in
the BMW Masters presented
by SRE Group, the first event in the inaugural Final Series.
The Oklahoma State University graduate was thrilled to be the 49th recipient of the award, which was launched in 1960.
“It’s
an honour to win the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award,” said
Uihlein, who reached world amateur number one 2010. “I wasn’t expecting
it, but it’s been a great year and I’m very pleased. I think I’m the
first non-European
to win it, so that’s a great honour. Any time you’re the first of
anything, it’s neat.
“The
win in Madeira was great and I had a lot of top tens. I played well all
week in Madeira and handled myself well in the wind, and it was nice to
get the job done. The win opened a few doors for me and I was able to
play at Wentworth
(the BMW PGA Championship) the following week.
“I was supposed to start the year on the Challenge Tour, but instead I was 11th
in The Race to Dubai heading into the final event, so it wasn’t what
I’d planned on but obviously it’s fantastic the way it has worked out.”
Before
joining the paid ranks, Uihlein won the 2010 US Amateur Championship,
and won four points from four matches in the 2009 Walker Cup.
George
O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “We heartily
congratulate Peter on an outstanding season, during which he has
thrilled golf fans and challenged for several titles. He is a worthy
winner of the Sir Henry Cotton
Rookie of the Year.
“His
incredible 60 at Kingsbarns, which ended with his eagle putt for a 59
missing by a fraction, will go down as one of the finest displays on The
European Tour.
“Peter
enjoyed a wonderful career as an amateur and it is so pleasing to see
him fulfilling his potential at the game’s highest level. We wish him
every success for the future.”
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONSLabels: EUROPEAN TOUR