By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Peter Uihlein is only the fifth multi-year winner of the Rolex Junior Player of the Year Award given annually by the American Junior Golf Association. His name is etched with the likes of Phil Mickelson, who won a record three times (1986-87-88), Tracy Phillips (1979-80), Tiger Woods (1991-92) and Brian Harman (2003-04).
Uihlein, a senior at the IMG David Leadbetter Golf Academy/Pendleton School in Bradenton, Fla., has the unusual distinction of being the only male golfer to win in non-consecutive years (2005-07). He also has been a Rolex Junior All-America selection four times - three times on the first team. He has won six career AJGA championships and played on the Canon Cup East Team three times.
Winning national honors as a sophomore was "a shocker," Uihlein told MaxPreps. "There were a lot of guys who played well. I guess I just was the most consistent. I was the second- or third-youngest to win. The next year I didn't play too well and put a lot of pressure on myself.
"This year I just didn't try to put too much pressure on myself. I just stuck to my game. A few putts here and there dropped in. I'd seen some of the courses four different times. This definitely was my main goal of the year. It's pretty special, a small list - pretty good company. I can't let it get to my head."
Uihlein competed in nine major tournaments this year, winning the FootJoy Boys Invitational in North Carolina. He also had seven top-10 finishes in national events.
The FootJoy triumph looms especially large in Uihlein's memory because he was saddled with a horrid 10 (on a par-5 hole) during the first of four rounds. "I hit a couple of trees and actually hit my own golf bag. It was a real debacle," he laughed.
His best round is a 64. He has carded an 8-under-par score "at least 10 times. I can't seem to crack it." The 6-1, 175-pounder consistently booms his tee shots 295 to 300 yards and he calls his putting "pretty good."
Strength coach David Donatucci has worked with IMG athletes, who normally are one-sport specialists, for eight years. He has been especially impressed by Uihlein's overall skills. He noted, "Peter is able to do multiple sports very efficiently. He's one of the better athletes we've had come through here. He works out at the same time as the soccer kids. Most of them stop and watch him train. He's a special kid."
It's no wonder Uihlein is a natural golfer, because both sides of his family have been immersed in the sport for many years. His maternal grandfather, Tony Marlowe, was the pro at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., for 30 years. He has an uncle who is a golf pro in Baltimore. His mother (Tina) and father (Wally) both play golf. His father, in fact, is chairman and CEO of Acushnet, which makes golf equipment for the likes of Titleist and FootJoy.
"We have film of me in a walker, swinging a plastic golf club at a plastic ball," Uihlein noted. "I couldn't even walk. I played basketball, baseball and a little soccer, but when I was 13 I made my decision to concentrate on golf. I always loved playing golf. It wasn't a tough decision. I still pick up a basketball once in awhile."
Uihlein grew up in New Bedford, Mass., and credits his coach at the Boys & Girls Club, Rob Mendes, for "getting me started at a young age. He helped get me on the right track and keep me level-headed. He taught me patience and structure."
As a seventh and eighth grader he played for the varsity golf team at Providence Country Day (East Providence, R.I.). During his eighth grade year - when he was the No. 1 player - he won the Southeast New England Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I championship.
Country Day coach Nicole Barber told MaxPreps, "I remember him most for being low key and, for such a young kid, he had a quiet confidence about him. He wasn't really a big guy, either. Opponents who didn't know him were a little bit in shock that he was going to play. Then he would absolutely wax them. For a little guy, he could hit the ball a long way. His approach shots were flawless. We really were fortunate to have him for those two years."
As a freshman Uihlein moved to Bradenton to enroll at the golf academy. He immediately had to deal with "changing my swing and getting the habit of working year round."
In 2005 Uihlein won his first Rolex Junior Player of the Year award. His victory at the Bobby Chapman Invitational in Spartanburg, S.C., was quite memorable because he finished his final four holes eagle-par-eagle-birdie for an eight-under 64. The brilliant finish enabled him to beat his best friend, classmate Bank Vongvanij, a native of Thailand who currently is a freshman at the University of Florida.
At age 16 he received a thrill by being invited to play in the Buick Championships in Hartford, Conn. He shot 72-74 and missed the cut, but the experience was invaluable.
Uihlein has a busy schedule coming up and says he is "just going to go out there and learn new courses. I've got to work on my driving a little more, be straighter and more consistent. I've got to get better on my scoring clubs - 8 iron on down."
He will attend Oklahoma State University next fall and he has some very ambitious long-term goals.
"I'd like to make the Walker Cup and win four NCAA championships," he revealed. "I think we can do it. We've got a good group there and will be just pushing each other. I'm so looking forward to it.
"I definitely want to beat all of Tiger's (Woods) records, because he'll have them all," he laughed. "I'm going to try to be the best in the game."
Football Notes
* Oklahoma produced one of the year's wildest shootouts when Grandfield outlasted Thackerville, 80-74. The teams combined for over 1,200 yards.In another big Oklahoma offensive show, Corey Jackson ran 18 times for 365 yards (20.2 average) and five touchdowns as Duncan Empire defeated Elmore City, 48-29. Jackson, in his first full year as a tailback, had been used sparingly recently due to a shoulder injury.
* Turning to North Carolina, Darrien Burch had 14 carries for 295 yards and seven touchdowns as Hickory crushed Lenoir West Caldwell, 74-20. He tied the state record by also scoring an eighth touchdown on a 29-yard reception. He sat out the second half.In Kentucky, Paducah Lone Oak rolled past Fulton City (Fulton), 56-12, as Corey Robinson fired seven touchdown passes. He has 59 this year, three short of the state record.
* Cam Saddler of Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.) is one of the nation's most dangerous kick returners. In his latest outing he scored on punt returns of 77 and 75 yards against Fox Chapel. He also scored on a 95-yard kick-off return, but it was nullified by a penalty. In the past two years he has scored seven times on kick-off returns (the national record is nine) and three times on punt returns.
* Ben Hoffer ran 20 times for 401 yards (20.0 average) and six touchdowns as Yough (Herminie, Pa.) defeated Southmoreland (Alverton), 52-37. He is only the ninth runner in WPIAL history to top the magic 400 mark.Georgia's No. 1 team, Warner Robins Northside, has lost starting quarterback Marques Ivory for the year due to a broken ankle. Ivory had started every game during the Eagles' current 23-game winning streak.
* Reserve East St. John battled through six overtimes before nipping Boutte Hahnville, 43-42, in a Louisiana thriller. The Wildcats kicked a game-tying PAT in the sixth overtime, but Hahnville was charged with a penalty, so they went for a two-point conversion and put a merciful end to the marathon contest.
* East (Wichita, Kan.) junior running back Bryce Brown broke his own city rushing record with 1,824 yards. East compiled a 6-3 record this year - its first winning season since 1992 and most victories since 1984.Honolulu Damien senior Kama Bailey carried 29 times for 317 yards and five touchdowns during a 55-38 loss to city foe Punahou. The 5-9, 175-pounder was close to two coveted Hawaii records: the ILH record is 343 yards and the OIA record is 350.
* Lakeland apparently is leading a charmed life. The Dreadnaughts trailed Ridge Community, 10-0, with three minutes left in the fourth quarter before pulling out a 22-19 double-overtime victory. That miracle enabled Lakeland to set a Florida record with its 53rd consecutive triumph and ignite a major homecoming celebration.Powerful Miami Northwestern handed city foe Central its first loss, 24-12, before a crowd estimated at 22,000 at the Orange Bowl.
* Former Western Michigan University coach Elliot Uzelac has led St. Joseph (Mich.) to a 10-0 record. The Bears were 0-9 two years ago.Prattville (Ala.) coach Bill Clark posted his 100th victory with a 52-21 rout of Selma. Clark is 100-11 in his eighth season with the Lions, who have won their last 24 games. The Lions blocked three punts, recovering two for touchdowns and the third at Selma's one-yard line.
Football Recruiting
* Though losing badly on the field, Notre Dame continues to clean up in recruiting. The Fighting Irish recently received a commitment from one of the nation's premier wide receivers, Michael Floyd of Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.). The 6-3, 205-pound senior was Minnesota's Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior.
* Colorado's top prospect, Jon Major of Parker Ponderosa, has made a commitment to the University of Colorado. The 6-4, 230-pound senior linebacker, who runs a 4.5 40, also considered Oklahoma and Wisconsin.Florida has received a commitment from Brendan Beal, a 6-3, 235-pound senior linebacker from Liberty (Bethlehem, Pa.).
* Senior quarterback D.C. Jefferson (6-5, 235) of Winter Haven (Fla.) has made a commitment to LSU. Earlier Jefferson had announced he would sign with Rutgers.Ohio State has received a commitment from senior cornerback Travis Howard of Dr. Krop (Miami, Fla.). Teammate Etienne Sabino, one of the nation's top linebackers, will choose between Ohio State and Southern California.
* Blaine Gabbert, a highly-ranked quarterback from Parkway West (Ballwin, Mo.) has de-committed from the University of Nebraska. The Cornhuskers also lost commitment Jonas Gray, a talented running back from Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), to Notre Dame.
Basketball Notes
* The Rutgers University women are putting together one of the nation's finest recruiting classes. The most athletic player may be Brooklyn Pope, a 6-2 senior who averaged 19 points last year and led Fort Worth Dunbar to the Texas Class 4A state title. High-scoring April Sykes, a 5-11 senior guard from Crawford, Miss., and 6-1 senior Jasmine Dixon are other major prizes. Dixon averaged 14.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.7 steals while leading Long Beach Poly to a 36-1 record and its second consecutive California Division I state title. Other highly-rated player are 6-2 senior Chelsey Lee of Parkway Academy in Miramar, Fla., and Nikki Speed of Marlborough (Los Angeles, Calif.).
* In men's recruiting, Minnesota has received a commitment from Ralph Sampson, a 6-11, 220-pound senior from Northview (Duluth, Ga.).Manual (Louisville, Ky.) sophomore Aaron Cosby already has made up his mind - he wants to attend the University of Massachusetts. The 6-2 point guard averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 rebounds as a freshman. He is rated Kentucky's No. 3 underclassman by Rick Bolus of High Potential Recruiting Service.
* Keep an eye on Ravenscroft in Raleigh, N.C. The Ravens are young, but are loaded with tall timber. Junior Ryan Kelly (6-9, 200) averaged 14.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks last year. He will get plenty of help from junior transfers Matt Wilson (6-11, 215) from Raleigh Millbrook and Sudan native Aru Kok (6-10, 194). Stefan Stoyanovich, a 6-7 sophomore, is a transfer from Palmer Trinity (Miami, Fla.).
* Senior guard Brandon Jennings of Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) lit up Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.) for 44 points in a recent exhibition game. Jennings drilled 15-of-27 shots from the field, 9-of-11 free throws and dished out nine assists.
Cross Country Notes
* West Des Moines Dowling Catholic sophomore sensation Katie Flood set a state-meet record of 13:27 for 4,000 meters while winning the Class 4A championship. She bettered the previous record by 37 seconds and won the race by 33 seconds over the runner-up while helping her team also win a title.Iowa's Class A title went to Traer North Tama's Blaire Dinsdale, who edged her twin sister, Brooke, who had won the previous two championships.
* Dowling Catholic's Tennelle Berard produced a rare double Saturday. She placed seventh in Iowa's Class 4A state cross country meet, then qualified for the state swim finals in two regional events - 200-yard IM and the 400-yard freestyle relay.
* Senior-dominated Griswold won a Connecticut-record eighth consecutive boys cross country state title, capturing the Class M division with 79 points. Middletown Xavier won seven straight titles from 1975-81.
Potpourri
* The University of Iowa has received commitments from five state wrestling champions: Nate Moore and Grant Gambrall of West (Iowa City, Iowa); Matt McDonough, Linn-Mar (Marion, Iowa); Mark Ballweg, Waverly-Shell Rock (Waverly, Iowa); and Jordan Blanton, Richmond-Burton (Richmond, Ill.).Iowa State has received a commitment from Eric Thompson of Waverly-Shell Rock (Waverly, Iowa). Thompson is the nation's No. 1-ranked heavyweight and has a 132-13 career record.
* Buford defeated Nashville Berrien County, 8-1, to win its first Georgia Class AA state softball crown. Buford's big win, however, came earlier in the double-elimination tournament when it stunned No. 1-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian, 4-0, in eight innings on Ashley Razey's grand-slam home run. The big blow came off previously unbeaten Jessica Coan, a Georgia Tech recruit, who is, arguably, the state's premier pitcher. Coan later suffered her second loss, 1-0, to Berrien County.
* Orange, Calif., senior tennis star Steve Johnson has made a commitment to the University of Southern California. He is the first back-to-back Southern Section singles champion since Tom Leonard of Arcadia in 1965-66.East Catholic (Manchester, Conn.) soccer coach Tom Malin recently notched his 300th victory.
* Louisville Assumption (39-3) defeated Notre Dame, 25-17, 25-13, to win its fourth consecutive Kentucky state volleyball title and 14th in the past 16 years. Six of the seven seniors have committed to Division I colleges. Michigan recruit Sloane Donhoff was named tourney MVP, while Nebraska recruit Kaitlynn James led the way with 12 kills.
* The St. Louis Bandits (13-2) swept the U.S. under-17 team, 8-0 and 3-1, during a weekend series in the North American Hockey League. Cal Heeter was credited with 21 saves in the shutout performance, while Mike Johnson registered 30 saves in the other victory.
* The family of hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky is helping to raise money to fund a new baseball diamond for Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) where one of five Gretzky children, 6-4 Trevor, is a freshman catcher. "I live through him (Trevor) quite a bit, because my dream was to play baseball," the hockey immortal told Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times.
