Sunday, August 11, 2024 Peter Uihlein leads the International Series England after a two-under-par 69, eyeing his first Asian Tour win with a one-shot lead. Peter Uihlein, an American golfer, is poised to secure his inaugural victory on the Asian Tour and The International Series. He maintained his lead following the third round of the International Series England, a tournament with a prize pool of US$2 million.
Starting the day in the lead, Uihlein successfully chipped in a birdie on the 18th hole, a par-five at the Longcross course at Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey. He concluded the round with a score of two-under-par 69, positioning him at 12-under overall, just one stroke ahead of his fellow American Harold Varner III. Varner shot a 65 to take a one-stroke lead over English golfer Richard Bland, who scored a 68, and American Caleb Surratt, who carded a 69.
“It was a bit up and down today,” said Uihlein , four times a runner-up individually on the LIV Golf League but twice on a winning team. “I feel like I hit a lot of greens until the end. I missed one green early and made double, and then feel like I hit pretty much every green until 15, so I sort of had a run going.
“And then I missed technically four [greens] straight coming in, so that was fun. But was able to salvage a little bit which was nice. So yeah, it was a bit of an up and down, made some nice putts at the end, missed some putts kind of in middle of the round, so it kind of offset each other.
” Over his 13-year professional career, he has clinched three victories: one on the DP World Tour and two on the Korn Ferry Tour. Securing his first win on the Asian Tour tomorrow would mark a significant milestone. He added : “Yeah, a win would be nice.
You know, it’s not been my best year since joining LIV, so it’s nice to kind of build some momentum with our final events coming up. And then I’m going to play a few more on The International Series after that, so it will put me in a good position which is nice.” He scored five birdies, achieving a trio consecutively starting at the eighth hole, alongside a double bogey and a single bogey.
Varner, who previously triumphed at the 2022 Saudi International on the Asian Tour, managed a bogey-free round today, marking the lowest score of the day. He said : “I shot six under par, so it was good. There’s another day so just need to keep doing what I’m doing.
I feel like I’m playing well. Just control that part of it. “No bogeys today and only three total for the week.
I think I am driving it pretty well, getting up and down in a few places and just, you know, giving myself a lot of looks. Pretty stress-free right now, but it won’t be tomorrow.” Bland, who has garnered attention this year by winning two senior majors on the Champions Tour—the Senior PGA Championship and the US Senior Open—made birdies on four of the last five holes to surge ahead at the conclusion.
“If I am being completely honest, I am struggling with my golf swing,” said the 51-year-old, who lives just 10 minutes away . “I need to find it. I find it on the range, but I am not taking it onto the golf course, certainly with the driver.
The last four or five holes, I won’t say what I said to myself, which was basically just get up and hit it. Stop thinking about it. Hit it hard and it seemed to go in the right direction so I will use that philosophy tomorrow.
” Following a disappointing tee shot on the 10th, he lost his composure and broke the shaft of his three wood in frustration. He added : “I do need to find a new three wood. Just for four or five holes I was struggling.
I have been trying to find a golf swing with a driver for about a month now. I can’t remember when I last broke a club through temper. I was frustrated and I bent the shaft, don’t know my own strength.
I wasn’t trying to break it. I apologise to the fans for that.” Surratt, who also competes in the LIV Golf League like Bland, held the lead for most of the day but recorded double bogeys on the 15th, where his ball landed in water, and the 16th, following a misdirected tee shot.
Meanwhile, Canadian Richard T. Lee is in solo fifth place, trailing the leader by three strokes after shooting a 66. England’s Andy Sullivan, with a 67, Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, with a 68, and England’s Richard Dinwiddie, with a 72, are each an additional stroke behind.
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