Flanagan one step closer to PGA Tour
IN: News | Nationwide | BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs (2007) | Wrap | 21 May 2007
Australasian PGA Tour member Nick Flanagan has stolen the show at the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs, taking his second consecutive Nationwide Tour victory by a shot today and moving to the top of the Nationwide Tour Money List.
The 22 year old Nova Castrian who won his first title, the Henrico County Open three weeks ago, posted a spectacular 7-under-par 65 to edge American Nicholas Thompson by a single shot and become the first player since American Jason Gore in 2005 to win in back-to-back starts.
“Two for two is good fun,” said Flanagan after the win. “I’m planning on playing the next three weeks so hopefully I’ll get another one soon.”
An almost flawless display saw Flanagan hit 14 out of 14 fairways today, resulting in eight birdies, including six in his final eight holes. A bogey on the par three second was his only blemish in a cool and calculated final round of seven under the card.
“I wanted to hit nine greens on the back nine,” said Flanagan. “I managed to hit eight of them and luckily that was enough. I felt really good hitting the ball this week and I putted well all week.”
Flanagan’s win is the 29th on Tour by an Australian, the most by any country outside of the United States and along with his $117,000 first-place check, he won a brand-new BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle âÄ” the first car ever given to the winner of a Nationwide Tour tournament.
I’ve never owned a car,” he said “This is a nice one to have as my first. My neighbour across the street would lend me his pick-up truck when I first started driving. Since then, I’ve been living out of hired cars for the past three years.”
Flanagan’s decision to take a break after his Henrico Open win looks to have paid off as he returned home and relaxed with friends and family and re-charged with some surfing in the morning and practicing in the afternoons.
“I played too many in a row last year. “This year I’m trying to schedule myself better. It keeps me feeling fresh and not all golfed out. It is obviously working.”
Flanagan hit the golfing world headlines in 2003 when as a 19 year old he became the first Australian in 100 years to win the US Amateur Championship. He was also the second youngest winner behind Tiger Woods, who claimed the title aged 18. With high expectations that his career would take off after the victory, Flanagan claimed just one title before this year, the 2005 Queensland Masters on the Australasian Von Nida Tour.
In a dramatic turnaround, the youngster now, at the very least, finds himself firmly entrenched in the Top 25 on the Money List which will ensure he graduates to the main tour in 2008, but with just one more Nationwide Tour win he will immediately graduate to the US PGA TOUR.
“Hopefully I’ve cemented myself in the Top 25 now,” said Flanagan. “But better yet, this means I only need one more win. I’d love to go out and win another one and be able to play the last half of the year on the PGA TOUR. This means I can just go out and have fun the rest of the year.”
He will savour the win for the rest of the day but with little time to rest, Flanagan heads off to a U.S. Open Qualifier in North Carolina on Monday (US time) before making the next three starts on the Nationwide Tour.
If he does successfully qualify for the 2007 U.S. Open to be played from June 14-17, he will find himself returning to the Oakmont County Club, the site of his US Amateur triumph.
“I haven’t been back there since I won,” said Flanagan. “It would be nice to be able to play there again. Actually I wouldn’t mind an exemption but I don’t think they give those out for the US Open.”
Source – PGA Tour
