Third times a charm for Uihlein
The making of a winner
The unseasonably warm weather in North Carolina set the stage for a closely contested junior golf tournament. Ninety players from 13 states teed it up for two rounds at the Bermuda Run Country Club, one of the Wake Forest Deacon "home" courses. While the weather was more than cooperative, the greens were not. Their lightning fast speed challenged even the most seasoned golfer, but then that is what makes golf such a unique game. One can play the same course 5 or 6 times and have 5 or 6 different experiences.
For Peter Uihlein of Bradenton, FL, Sunday marked his 6th tournament round at this course. For three years in a row, Peter, originally from Massachusetts, has competed at this event and each year he has improved his finish. In 2003 he finished T10 at 155 (+11). In 2004, he finished 2nd at 146 (+2). This year, he takes home the Championship honors at 137 (-7). So what made the difference? Was the course that much easier? Not for those who finished 10 or more places behind their last season's finish. Were the fans friendlier? Probably not. So what is the ingredient that has put Peter Uihlein in the Top 10 players in the country as a sophomore? Obviously, there are many factors to Peter's success - his work ethic, his parental support, his equipment, his regular golf instruction; the list goes on. But when one reviews his performance, the thing that stands out most about Peter is he PLAYS TOURNAMENT GOLF and he plays it regularly. Any professional golfer will tell you that hitting balls on the driving range or teeing it up with your buddies is not the same thing as playing in a tournament. Peter has learned to put himself in contention every time by playing under pressure.
After a bogey-free round of 4 under par 68 on Saturday, Peter teed it up in the last group of the day with fellow Rolex All-American Chesson Hadley of Raleigh, NC and Donnie Shin a junior from Columbia, MD who won the FCWT Back Creek event in October . Peter was in this same position last year: last group of the day, playing with a strong competitor (Bank Vongvanij). Last season, he played the front nine at one under par. This year, he got HOT and made birdie on every hole from 6 to 10 before making his first bogey of the event on #11. So while last year he shot 68-78, this year he shot 68-69 -- the mark of the maturity of a champion. His playing partner, Chesson Hadley, has made his own strides in this area. Chesson, who finished T23 at this event last season, went to the FCWT Blue Devil Junior Classic a couple of weeks later and won! That along with two other top 5 finishes on the FCWT in 2004-05 earned Chesson 2nd Team All-American honors. This year Chesson fired a 2 under par 70 on Saturday to be the early leader in the clubhouse for the Boys 16-18 division. On Sunday, playing with Peter, Chesson had his own hot streak going and actually finished with the most birdies in this division with 11. He and Peter tied for Low Round honors, but Peter's 2 stroke advantage from Saturday gave Peter the advantage and kept him from a playoff for the 2nd year in a row. Kyle Sonday of Cary, NC, the only other player to finish under par on Sunday, moved up from 7th to 3rd with his round of 2 under par 70. Donnie Shin who played in the lead group finished in 4th after a final round of 77. Alex Frankel, a sophomore from Atlanta, GA, started the day tied with Shin for 3rd, but fell to 5th place at 151 (72-79).
Thirteen year old Michael Cromie of Cary, NC (2010), who fired a 3 under par 69 on Saturday to lead the Boys 13-15 division by 8 strokes, finished with a round of even par 72 to take home the title. FInishing in 2nd place was 15 year old Brent Whitehead of Marietta, GA (2008) who had 7 birdies on the event. In third place was local player Isaac Spencer of Winston-Salem, who started the day in a tie for fourth. Gate Jones of Durham, NC and 13 year old David Sessions of Winston-Salem, NC (2010), (the 2004 Boys 11-12 division winner of this event) finished T4.
Sydney Burlison of Salinas, CA, was able to pull away from the 6-way tie and win the Girls division
On Saturday, things were tight at the top of the leaderboard with 6 young ladies tied for first after the opening round. Sydney Burlison of Salinas, CA, Courtney Ellenbogen of Blacksburg, VA (2009), Hunter Ross of Manakin-Sabot, VA (2008), Megan Smith of Atlanta, GA (2008), 14 year old Elizabeth Brightwell of Alexandria, VA (2009), and Abby Bools of Hickory, NC (2006) all posted rounds of 79 on Saturday.
Miss Burlison, 16, who carded the only eagle on Saturday in the girls division with a 3 on the par 5 4th hole, broke away from the pack on Sunday to earn her first FCWT title of the season. Sydney carded a final round 75 which allowed her to finish one stroke ahead of Courtney Ellenbogen of Blacksburg, VA (2009), who earned 2nd place honors for the second year in a row. Hunter Ross of Manakin-Sabot, VA (2008), who finished T7 at this event last year, finished in 3rd place. And Natalie Sheary of West Hartford, CT (2007), who had a rough start on Saturday, rebounded nicely and earned low round honors and moved herself into 4th place. |
