Minnesota senior Angus Flanagan went undefeated on the final day of competition as the Walker Cup concluded Sunday at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla.
After splitting his matches Saturday, the Woking, England, native earned a tie in his foursomes (alternate shot) match Sunday morning and then claimed a victory in singles play in the afternoon. With one point awarded for a win and half a point for a tie, Flanagan finished the weekend with 2.5 points, good for third on the Great Britain and Ireland Squad and fifth among all competitors.
The United States retained the Walker Cup title for a third straight time with a 14-12 triumph.
Playing with Ben Schmidt against the United States duo of Davis Thompson and Cole Hammer, Flanagan helped engineer a terrific comeback and salvage a point for GB&I.
Thompson/Hammer came out hot out of the gates, going 4 Up in just five holes. Flanagan/Schmidt captured No. 6 to get back within three, but two holes later another victory for the Americans put the deficit at four with just 10 holes to play.
A birdie on No. 9 bested a par and Flanagan/Schmidt got down three. The competing duos then tied on each of the next five holes, leaving the European duo down three with just four holes to play. The comeback began with a birdie on No. 15 versus a par for the U.S., while each team recorded a par on No. 16. The tee shot from Schmidt on the par-3 17th landed in the bunker, but Flanagan’s shot out rolled to within a couple feet of the hole to cut the US lead to just one with one hole to play.
Both squads were over par on No. 18 but the GB&I duo was able to keep it to a bogey, while the Americans recorded a double to split the match.
In singles play, Flanagan earned a 1 Up victory over William Mouw, a sophomore from Pepperdine, in a tightly-contested match where only five holes were won.
Flanagan struck first with a birdie on No. 3, but Mouw tied it up on No. 6 with a par. Flanagan only needed two holes, though, to take the lead back as his par on No. 8 topped a bogey for Mouw. The duo then matched each other on the next seven holes, leaving Flanagan 1 Up with three holes remaining.
On No. 16, with the pin location far back on the green, Flanagan rolled his chip shot to within about three feet to secure a birdie and two-shot lead. Mouw then captured No. 17 to extend the match.
On the final hole of the day Flanagan buried a long, sweeping par putt, while Mouw missed his birdie attempt that would’ve tied the match, giving Flanagan the victory and the point for GB&I.
Up next, Flanagan returns to collegiate play at the NCAA Regional in Noblesville, Ind., May 17-19.
(info and photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)