Oklahoma State University Athletics
Talking Shop With Peter Uihlein
August 18, 2011 | Cowboy Golf
Aug. 18, 2011
Last summer, Oklahoma State's Peter Uihlein became the fourth Cowboy to claim amateur golf's most prestigious title, the United States Amateur Championship. Beginning August 22nd at Erin Hills in Erin Wisconsin, Uihlein will look to become the first player since Tiger Woods (1994-96) to successfully defend his title. The rising senior was in Stillwater this week preparing for the event and took a few minutes to talk all things golf.
Winning the Amateur last year, how has that changed your world?
"You just get recognized a little more. You get put on the radar per se. From a golf standpoint, I felt more confident. I felt more belief and trust in my game. I backed it up with a pretty good year. There were, obviously, more positives and it was pretty special."
You got pulled in several directions and have had a lot thrown at you since your win. How were you able to manage everything that came at you?
"We are pretty lucky. We have a good support group with the coaches and everybody here. You guys definitely help take good care of what we do and what we need to do, so we don't have to worry about too much stuff. Academically, Nikki Jones is a great help for me. I am fortunate to have a lot of good people around and that definitely helped."
What was it like putting the peg in the ground on the first hole at The Masters?
"What a lot of people probably don't know unless they have been there is the putting green to the tee is swarms of people. The security guys rope off a spot for you to walk through. You are swarmed by people and they are very close to you. They are all screaming and cheering for you, saying `Go get em'. That was pretty cool. To me, the toughest part was getting through that without freaking out. When you got to the tee it was quieter and it just felt like you were out playing golf again. I liked the first tee shot, so I was pretty comfortable on that hole. I was more nervous on No. 2 having to turn it."
What stands out to you from each of the three majors?
"They are all unique in their own way. At Augusta, playing with Phil (Mickelson) and Geoff (Ogilvy) was cool because I have never played a golf course where you had to be so precise. You literally had to hit an area like on top of a golf cart. You had to land 4 or 5 irons on top of a golf cart in order to get it close or else you were 40 feet away. It is amazing how patient you have to be. If you start hitting it well, you can easily rattle off five or six birdies in a row. The U.S. Open, was obviously not a typical U.S. Open because it was very soft. It wasn't running as much, but it was also a good experience. The (British) Open was exciting because golf over there is awesome. That type of golf is really fun. You have to be so creative and hit different shots. You pretty much don't look at the bottom of the club and what you are hitting. You are trying to hit a flight and pick a club that might match that flight and what you are seeing. It might be a 3 iron from 150 and you have to just do it. That kind of golf is pretty exciting."
When you look back on the week at Chambers Bay, what stands out?
"I played better each day. That was one of the things I took from it. I really didn't play that well in the qualifying rounds and just kind of limped in. I got by in my first two matches playing ok. Then I played pretty poorly against John Hahn. I got to the quarters and played against (OSU teammate Morgan Hoffmann). In my playoff hole against John, I hit two unbelievable shots on a brutal hole and he struggled. I hit that green in two and I don't think a lot of guys did that. I think that just carried over against Hoff and I played well against him, I played well against Patrick (Cantlay) and I played well in the finals. Just playing better each day and getting comfortable is something I took from it."
It has been a whirlwind summer. How do you assess it?
"I think it was a good summer. The win (Northeast Amateur) was nice. I set a record there, which was pretty cool. I played better than I think I shot at the Open. I was two even-par rounds on the weekend from finishing around sixth. I played pretty well. I made the cut at the AT&T and finished ninth at the Nationwide event, so I had some pretty good weeks. All in all, I feel like it was a good experience and I am a better player now than I was 12 months ago going into the Amateur, so I think it was a pretty good summer."
What is it going to be like to play at the Walker Cup again?
"This time around, I am more fortunate. I wasn't a part of the team going into the Amateur the last time around. I had a good Amateur at Southern Hills to make it. This time, I was one of the top guys picked and am probably going to be looked at in more of a leadership role instead of trying to latch on and learn. I will try to teach the guys who haven't done it before what they might face and the experiences. Playing golf over there during the Open is going to be huge. I went and played the golf course, Royal Aberdeen, where it will be played. To be able to help out Captain (Jim) Holtgrieve and talk about some of the holes and the course and tell the guys what they might face I can be more of a helpful leader and try to prepare the guys as best I can."
You chose to come back to Stillwater and prepare at Karsten Creek. Why is that?
"I did it last year and I did it the year before. I love it here. I am more comfortable here. My game feels better when I am here and I do a lot more. I played 27 on Friday. I practiced on Saturday morning and played 27 on Sunday. I had a good practice session with my coach yesterday and I just played nine with Sean (Einhaus) and am probably going to play 18 more. I just get a lot more done from a practice standpoint here. The golf course is hard. It might not be Erin Hills because Erin Hills is so much different, but in a way it is. You have to be precise when you play out here because you can't miss shots. You are going to need that. I like coming back and seeing all of the guys. I am not going to be here for a while, so it is nice to check in and see how everybody is doing and when I come back I will be ready to go."
What kind of goals have you set heading into your senior year?
"I don't know how many wins Lindy (Miller) has, but I would like to catch him. Just have a good year and help the team. I think we aren't really getting as much credit for how good I think we can be. Compared to our teams of the past, which have been great, I think this team is going to be real solid and fly under the radar a little bit. I think that is pretty exciting. It is a good opportunity for us to all work a little bit harder and get a little bit of an edge and get a chip on our shoulder. Obviously, we have lost the last few years and now we aren't being talked about as one of the top teams. From that perspective, I think it is exciting. We can go out work hard, try to prove everybody wrong and finally get that victory."
What has changed the most during your time in college?
"Everything has changed. A lot has happened in three years, from a golf standpoint, from a personal standpoint, from an academic standpoint. A lot has changed and it has been a great experience no doubt."
What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
"I am a fantasy football junkie. I am a huge fantasy baseball junkie. I could tell you the starting lineup for the Marlins and the Padres. We were talking about that at the Nationwide event. We were talking baseball all day. I said `I think I can name the starting lineup for the Padres' and I did it. I shouldn't know that, but I do. I am a huge New England sports guy too."
How did you get to be such a huge baseball fan?
"I don't know. I have always loved golf, but I have always loved baseball too. I first started playing baseball before I started taking golf seriously. I always loved it. I enjoy the history of it. It is America's sport and it has been around over 100 years. Traditions like that are always cool to me."
Do you have any superstitions on the golf course?
"I have a lot. I only use an all-white glove in tournaments. I only use a Titleist 5 because of my two favorite baseball players. George Brett, because of the pine tar incident, and I played golf with him and Nomar Garciaparra are both No. 5. I have been doing that since I was 12. I only carry five tees. If I break a tee I grab another one."
What would your dream grouping be and where would you play?
"Right now my dream group would be Rickie (Fowler), Kevin (Tway) and Hoff at Karsten Creek. We haven't done that in a while. The relationship the four of us have is something I cherish. From another standpoint, Francis Ouimet would be awesome with Tom Brady and Ted Williams at a place called Myopia Hunt. It is up in Boston and used to host U.S. Opens. It is this cool little 6,200-yard golf course. It is so cool and it is so hard. You feel like you can drive every hole, but it is so hard. That would be pretty cool to do."
