Unusually, there was no sign of any of the big five of Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews in September. Ernie Els shone to a degree but, other than the winner, David Howell, no one did more to make the event go with a swing than America’s Peter Uihlein.
The 24-year-old narrowly missed out on recording the first 59 in European Tour history when he returned a 60 at Kingsbarns on the Friday, while he only lost out to Howell at the second extra hole of a sudden-death play-off.
This son of Wally Uihlein, the CEO of Acushnet, has everything it takes - the looks, the grace and the game - to make him a crowd favourite. Again, the story he has to tell comes as a welcome antidote to the usual tale of Europeans defecting to the States.
When, at the end of 2011, he failed to win his PGA Tour card, Uihlein took heed of Butch Harmon and Chubby Chandler, respectively his coach and his manager, when they concurred with his father's view that he should head for Europe.
Peter had no doubt that they were right, though he will tell you that he was swayed rather more by the thought that he would be following the same path as his great hero, Adam Scott.
"As far as I’m concerned," said Uihlein, "Adam always does the right thing. He’s definitely a world player and that’s what I want to be." (He has stressed as much many times since.)
Though he did not play well enough in the European Tour’s qualifying system to pick up a full European Tour card, Uihlein started out on the secondary Challenge Tour where he finished his first year in 26th place.
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