Nick Flanagan

Nick Flanagan first picked up a golf club at 13 and at 17 he won the Australian Schoolboy Championship. At the age of 19 and in only his second trip to the United States in 2003, Flanagan won the U.S. Amateur at Oakmont C.C. He became the first Australian in 100 years and first international player in 32 years to win the prestigious championship. Defeated Casey Wittenberg in 37 holes to join fellow Aussie U.S. Amateur winner Walter Travis (in 1903). At the time, the only younger player to win the title was Tiger Woods. Danny Lee (2008) and Byeong Hun An (2009) would follow as 18-year-old champions. Received a telegram wishing him luck from Greg Norman prior to the start of the final match and then a congratulatory phone call following his victory. Flanagan survived a playoff to earn one of the final spots in match play before winning his six matches.
At the time it didn't get any better than that for the son of coal-miner father Wayne, and Jenny his mother, who at the time worked in the local supermarket. Both had mortgaged themselves to help support Flanagan so that he can stay an amateur. He had his best finish in a professional tournament by finishing T-3rd in the 2004 ANZ Championship. But after that it was a struggle. As an amateur in 2004 he missed the cut at Bay Hill, The Masters, the Memorial, U.S. Open, Barclays Scottish Open and Open Championship. After that he turned pro and picked up his first check the next week in the Irish Open, finishing 73rd. But after that in nine starts missed the cut in eight of them his only other check made was a T-66th finish at the Reno-Tahoe Open.
His struggles continued in 2005 as he only played in five events around the world, his best finish was T-23rd at the British Open. Little did Flanagan know at the time, but that would be his last major championship start, until qualifying to play the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. He achieved his first professional win at the 2005 Queensland Masters, which is part of the PGA Tour of Australasia's developmental series known as the Von Nida Tour. At the end of the year Flanagan went to PGA Tour Q-School and finished T-79th, which got him on the Web.Com Tour.
2006 Web.com Summary: Tournaments Entered - 24; In Money - 16; Top-10 Finishes - 2; Scoring Average - 70.65 (Rank 30th); Money - $169,812 (Rank 32nd); Best Finish ? 2nd Price Cutter Charity and 3rd at the Jacob's Creek Open.
2007 Web.com Summary: Tournaments Entered - 17; In Money - 12; Top-10 Finishes - 5; Scoring Average - 70.31 (Rank 17th); Money - $369,951 (Rank 3rd); Best Finish ? winner Henrico County Open, BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Cliffs & Xerox Classic. His great year got him his PGA Tour card for 2008, only problem at the end of the year had to take a month off for a unscheduled hernia operation.
2008 Notes: After the surgery he sturggled and in 29 starts on the PGA Tour only made 16 starts. Had just one top-ten, T-9th at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and finished the year 169th on the money list with $379,036. Hard to believe after that year only played once on the PGA Tour missing the cut at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship.
2009 Web.com Summary: Tournaments Entered - 13; In Money - 4; Top-10 Finishes - 1; Scoring Average - 72.03 (Rank N/A); Money - $25,182 (Rank 147th); Best Finish ? T-6th Stonebrae Classic.
2010 Web.com Summary: Tournaments Entered - 24; In Money - 11; Top-10 Finishes - 2; Scoring Average - 71.14 (Rank 107th); Money - $88,787 (Rank 74th); Best Finish ? T-3rd Children's Invitational & T-4th Melwood Prince George's County Open.
2011 Web.com Summary: Tournaments Entered - 20; In Money - 9; Top-10 Finishes - 1; Scoring Average - 71.02 (Rank 99th); Money - $64,417 (Rank 81st); Best Finish ? T-2nd Midwest Classic.
2012 Web.com Summary: Tournaments Entered - 19; In Money - 9; Top-10 Finishes - 1; Scoring Average - 70.96 (Rank 73rd); Money - $130,047 (Rank 45th); Best Finish ? winner BMW Charity Pro-Am beating countryman Cameron Percy on the third hole of a playoff. Unfortunately at the end of the year while playing a practice round in Florida he felt a pop mid-swing in his wrist. If that wasn't enough in November suffered a partial tear of his AC joint in his right shoulder in a surfing accident.
2013 Web.com Summary: Tournaments Entered - 23; In Money - 12; Top-10 Finishes - 2; Scoring Average - 70.81 (Rank 81st); Money - $68,079 (Rank 75th); Best Finish ? T-4th WNB Golf Classic. The pain in his wrist continued and over the course of the year got more painful.
2014 Web.com Summary: Played in five events in March and April, making one cut, which resulted in a T-29th at the Mexico Championship. Things got worst with the wrist and in a doctor visit it revealed a tear in his carpometecarpal joint which required surgery. Flanagan was unable to use his hand for two months. After that he slowly started to chip and putt and eventually resumed driving six months after the surgery. In December of 2014 he played in his first event in nine months, missing the cut at the NSW PGA Championship in Australia.
2015 Web.com Summary: Tournaments Entered - 15; In Money - 6; Top-10 Finishes - 0; Scoring Average - 70.59 (Rank 85th); Money - $9,890 (Rank 163rd); Best Finish ? T-38th Greater Dallas Open. Returned to competition in March at the Brasil Champions.
2016 Notes: Flanagan still had pain in his thumb and pain in his back and only played once missing the cut at the BMW Charity Pro-Am. He wanted to play in the U.S. Open which was held at Oakmont Country Club, site of his Amateur win 13 years previously. Flanagan wasn't able to qualify but his roommate Aron Price did qualify and Flanagan volunteered to caddie for Price at Oakmont. It would be Flanagan's first visit to a U.S. Open since playing at Shinnecock Hills in 2004. Despite the return in the capacity he never dreamed he would be doing, Flanagan carried the bag for two rounds as Price didn't make the cut.
2017 Notes: Still not able to play at the same level he use to due to his wrist and back, he has only played once missing the cut at the BMW Charity Pro-Am. But Flanagan was able to muster some of his old game to emerge back on the golfing scene as he had 14 birdies over 36 holes to shot rounds of 68-63 and gain a spot via sectional qualifying in Dallas. As he told reporters after his round he is looking forward to playing in a major, 12 years after his last start at the British Open and 13 years after his last U.S. Open start in 2004. ?I?m a completely different person than I was 13 years ago, but I want to go there and play well," he said. ?This is just baby steps for me after being sidelined with some injuries.? Flanagan told AAP that, ?It's been a slow couple of years, with injuries in the past four years. 2017 is the first year in a long time I?ve been able to play golf week in, week out.?