Flanagan fires at Henrico Country Open
IN: News | Nationwide | Henrico County Open (2007) | Round Two | by Anthony Powter | 28 Apr 2007
The capacity to consistently score in the low 60’s is a distinguishing trait separating the wheat from the chaff in professional golf. A single round can elevate a player into contention and during the second round of the Henrico Country Open, Nick Flanagan’s 66 has positioned the Aussie to be within striking distance to claim his first Nationwide Tour event.
It’s the second year Flanagan played the Nationwide Tour, his first as a fully exempt player. He’s made 21 cuts from 32 events to date, including a runner up finish at the 2006 Price Cutter Charity Championship and a 3rd at the 2006 Jacob’s Creek Open.
Whilst it remains early days, life this year on tour for Flanagan has a bit of a rollercoaster ride, yet he remains confident he’ll achieve his goals for the year.
The season openers in Australia and New Zealand furnished solid results with a T8th at the Jacob’s Creek Open and a T16th in the New Zealand PGA Championship. Since returning to the US, the earlier results have yet to be reproduced.
Flanagan has made three cuts from five events in the US but has finished those events outside the top 20. Talking with him this week, Flanagan is frank about being not too impressed with his game to date in the US.
“Obviously my main focus this year is on the Nationwide Tour. At the beginning of the year I started well but in the last three events here in the US I’ve been struggling.”
“Even though I’ve made some cuts, I’ve finished the tournament mid-pack, which does not really help you on the Nationwide.”
“The last three events here in the US, I’ve putted pretty average. I’m trying to sort a few things out and get a bit of the rust out of the game. I plan to try and get a lot more top 15 finishes this year and hopefully make good this time. “
Currently 33rd on the money list, a fraction outside the desired season ending top 25 that sees promotion to the main PGA Tour, Flanagan has made minor adjustments to his game and from this morning’s round in Virginia, it appears for the better.
“I’ve put a different Nike driver in my bag having moved back to the Nike plain Sumo and the ball seems to be going a lot straighter. I’ve also changed to the new Nike One Black Plus ball and for some reason it seems to be going a lot further than the older ball.”
Flanagan is currently ranked 31st on driving on the Nationwide Tour, averaging 305 yards. This coupled with being 33rd with putting, generates a powerful mix of weaponry that’s been developed under the watchful eye of his coach, Steve Bann. Yet Flanagan feels it’s his short game that is holding back the results so far in the US.
“My short game has been pretty average now for six months. It’s something that I trying to work on at the moment a lot more. Another aspect is my schedule. After this week at the Henrico, I’ll be returning back to Australia for a break and going to Noosa to spend some time with family and friends.”
“I’m looking forward to getting away from it all and getting refreshed. I’ll then be returning to play the BMW Charity, Melwood Prince and LaSalle Bank Open. There all big purse events to focus on and hopefully I’ll bag some top 15 finishes and get up that money list.”
During the Price Cutter Charity Championship last year, were rounds of 69-63-64-67 that led to a 25 under total, two shots behind champion Doug LaBelle II, Flanagan’s best tour result to date. His final 54 hole score of 22 under that week equated to the best of the season on the Nationwide at that point.
The statistics are there, illustrating Flanagan has the game and capacity to shoot multiple rounds in the low sixties. This week at the Henrico County Open he’ll be aiming for a similar finish, but hopefully one better. Not only would this highlight what a talent that Flanagan is; it would bring a new meaning to “separating the wheat from the chaff”.
