ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Jan. 11, 2009) -- Oklahoma State freshman Peter Uihlein has made a habit of winning at least one amateur major per year since 2006, and this year he got that first victory under his belt early, winning the New Year's Invitational at the St. Petersburg Country Club by three strokes.
Uihlein finished with a final-round of 4-under 68, overtaking former Georgia Tech standout Mike Barbosa, who faltered with a final-round 75 after leading through 54 holes.
The 19-year-old finished at 10-under 278, followed by Ole Miss sophomore Jonathan Randolph, who checked in at 281.
Barbosa was third at 282, but was the winner of the Mid-Am Division.
"This is the third time I've had a chance to win this tournament,'' Uihlein told the St. Petersburg Times. "It's obviously a very talented field. It was a little windy out there, so I knew I had to be smart in how I played. You never know what's going to happen when the wind kicks up like it did.''
Jim Holbrook won the 54-hole Senior Division after he carded a final-round 72 (a tournament-best for that division) and finished at 226, four strokes better than runner-up Charlie Hodges.
Uihlein finished last season ranked 15th in the amateurgolf.com - Bridgestone Golf Player Rankings and has thus far taken victories in the St. Augustine Amateur (2006) Terra Cotta Invitational (2007) and Florida Azalea Amateur (2008) in his short career.
In 2005 he was named the American Junior Golf Association Rolex Player of the Year.
New Year's Invitational Golf Tournament: Top Finishers
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Northern California