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Flanagan defeats unlucky Percy on US Nationwide Tour
May 21, 2012
After three extra holes, Flanagan defeated fellow Australian Cameron Percy to take the title and the US$108,000 first place cheque.
With three birdies in his last six holes, Percy looked to have the tournament all wrapped up until he bogeyed the 18th to finish at 15-under par.
Flanagan needed a birdie on 18 to force the playoff and, with a little luck from a ricochet off a cameraman, he managed to sink his last putt from 12 feet.
"Sometimes it's better to be lucky rather than good, obviously. You've got to take every break you can get out here," said Flanagan.
The playoff was contested over the 18th hole and, on their third journey up the par-4, Flanagan finally prevailed at the hands of a Percy double bogey.
"It's a tough finish when you're hitting 5-irons and 6-irons into the hole... It's just a matter of endurance and getting it somewhere near the green and making a par," added Flanagan.
The result for the 28-year-old is a much needed confidence boost mid way through the 2012 season.
Only a matter of weeks ago he missed the cut on the PGA TOUR’s Wells Fargo Championship, while in March he missed the weekend in his only other Nationwide Tour start of the season.
A former Nationwide Tour Player of the Year, Flanagan is no stranger to Nationwide Tour success.
In 2007 the Novocastrian became only the eighth player in Tour history to earn an elusive three-win promotion to the PGA TOUR, winning the Henrico County Open, BMW Charity Pro-Am and the Xerox Classic is a single season.
Since this time the only other player to earn a ‘battlefield’ promotion from the Nationwide Tour is fellow Australian Michael Sim (2009.)
The latest win elevates Flanagan to 11thon the Nationwide Tour moneylist as one of three Australians in the all important Top 25.
With another strong finish this week Percy sits in sixth position with US$128,583, while Alistair Presnell is in 21st position with US$72,791.