American Peter Uihlein Sets the Pace in Thailand with Stunning 62, Aims for Series Rankings

Friday, October 25, 2024

American golfer Peter Uihlein heads into the weekend of the International Series Thailand in the lead, aiming to build on his recent victory at the International Series England in August. Just a day after sharing that he sees a chance to capture The International Series Rankings if he wins this week, Uihlein delivered an impressive eight-under-par 62, positioning him at 14-under and one stroke ahead of Australia’s Maverick Antcliff.

He said: “Sometimes boring golf can be fun, I guess. So, yeah, I’ve driven it nice the last two days, so have had a lot of wedges and irons from the fairways, greens are soft and receptive. So, I’ve played nice.”

Antcliff, who posted a 64, trails Uihlein by one shot, while fellow American Christian Banke also carded a 62, securing third place. The action unfolds at Thai Country Club in Bangkok in this high-stakes US$2 million event, which is intensifying the season’s conclusion on the Asian Tour and The International Series.

“You probably can’t go even, even, I can tell you that,” joked the American, whose win in England was his first on the Asian Tour.

“So, you are going to have to keep going low, and it all just depends what the wind does. We kind of played with a totally different way today than we did yesterday, so it’s kind of fun to see the course with a different direction. But it kind of felt like it maybe made it a little bit easier, so we’ll see what the wind does, and how it plays tomorrow.”

Uihlein’s powerful driving continued to work in his favor, enabling him to tally nine birdies against just one bogey. Aware of the need to keep scoring low, the 35-year-old ranks third on The International Series Rankings, trailing leader John Catlin by 362.78 points. On the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Uihlein sits in seventh place, although his gap from Catlin is substantial with five events remaining.

“The course is not overly long and you’re going to have a lot of opportunities,” said the Australian, who mentioned his name is Maverick, “Coz dad liked Top Gun”.

“Obviously the course is limited to only two par fives, but if you can just hit good putts, you should probably have a low score.”

Antcliff, who began the day tied with Jed Morgan and Sweden’s Charlie Lindh, surged ahead with four birdies on the front nine and two more on the back nine, remaining bogey-free for the tournament’s first two days. The 31-year-old Brisbane native noted the importance of putting on a course with limited defenses. Despite missing the cut at last week’s Black Mountain Championship, he’s maintained a strong season, sitting at 27th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

Banke, who also qualified through the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January, has yet to drop a shot and credits his unique caddie partnership as a key advantage.

He explained: “I actually have a college teammate that’s caddying for me, Puwit Anupansuebsai, and honestly, I have him read the putts, and I just hit it. So, yeah it was good, we worked well together, and everything was dropping today.”

The duo were teammates at San Diego State and Banke adds: “He’s awesome. I mean, he drives me around, he translates for me, he orders the right food. It’s great to have him.”

Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po fired a 65, tying for fourth with compatriot Chan Shih-chang, who posted a 66. Thailand’s rising stars David Boriboonsub and Sadom Kaewkanjana, along with Mexico’s Santiago De la Fuente, also shot 65s to stay within striking distance at three strokes behind Uihlein.

John Catlin, after an initial 70, rebounded with a 66 to make the cut, ensuring he remains in the mix as he works to extend his lead in both the Asian Tour and International Series rankings.

He said: “It matters what you’re doing right now. And I’m playing fine. Maybe struggling to adapt a little bit to the greens – they are a little different (to last week). The speed and grain has fooled me on a couple of putts, but it’s quite soft and a bit slower.”