Craig Lee fourth as Uihlein triumphs in Madeira

STIRLING’S Craig Lee missed out on a breakthrough European Tour win as American Peter Uihlein shot four birdies on the back nine to claim the Madeira Islands Open by two shots.

Uihlein, son of Titleist supremo Wally, carded a final-round four-under-par 68 to finish on 15-under for the tournament and see off the challenge of Lee, Denmark’s Morten Orum Madsen and Chile’s Mark Tullo, the overnight leader.

Things appeared to be going wrong for Uihlein after back-to-back bogeys at the eighth and ninth dropped him back to level par, but he completed the second half of his round in 32 to recover impressively.

“I’m just thrilled,” said the 23-year old, a member of the defeated American side in the 2011 Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen. “To do it playing well on the back nine, coming down the stretch, is sweet.”

Madsen closed with a 67 and would have forced a play-off had it not been for a double-bogey 6 at the 18th, which followed eight birdies and a bogey.

Tullo had to settle for a 71, despite a hole-in-one at the par-3 fourth.

Lee finished in fourth place, three shots off the pace, after closing with a 71. Birdies at the first two holes gave him the ideal start to the final day, but a double bogey and a bogey on the back nine, to go with two birdies, slowed his progress.

On the plus side, it was Lee’s second top-ten finish of the season and a cheque for around £25,000 has lifted him to 86th in the Race to Dubai.

Meanwhile, Chris Doak, who tied for 19th in Madeira, has secured a spot in this week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, where Scott Henry is now first reserve.