Flanagan Returns To Us With Long-term Ambition Nick Invests In Overseas Future
Newcastle Herald
Tuesday September 9, 2008
NICK Flanagan flew back to the United States yesterday determined to make the place his new home.
The Eleebana 24-year-old has struggled in his rookie year on the world's richest golf circuit, the US PGA Tour.A product of the Belmont Golf Club junior program, Flanagan is ranked 156th on the tour money list with six tournaments to play.The top 125 players keep full status on the tour next year and players ranked 126 to 150 get conditional status where they can play in about half of the events.The rest go back to tour school to improve their position and make it onto the tour through qualifying."I set my goals a little bit higher than just keeping my card this year," Flanagan said. "You kind of have to reassess things halfway through the year, but it has just been rough ball-striking for me this year."That has crept into the confidence part and all that kind of ties together because when you are hitting the ball well it is easier to concentrate, and I've just been struggling with that part of my game."Flanagan flew back to the US yesterday after enjoying a two-week break home in Australia.He spent time surfing on the Gold Coast and with family in Newcastle before flying back to play in a Nationwide Tour event this week and to set himself up for a long stay in the US."I've put a deposit down for a house in Phoenix, and I'll find out about that when I get over there," Flanagan said. "I've just been renting, but I want to have a permanent base there and set myself up."Flanagan played his way onto the US tour last year by winning three tournaments on the Nationwide Tour but has struggled to find his feet against the best players in the world this year."It's been a pretty slow year, and I haven't really played too well as yet," Flanagan said. "I've had a couple of good weeks here and there, but I've just been pretty inconsistent."But other than that it's been fun playing the US Tour, that's for sure."On the US tour you only need one good week and you can get yourself set. I've got six more events to go, and I've got to make a fair sum of cash, but I'm not trying to put too much pressure on myself."Flanagan needs about $US500,000 ($585,685) to get inside the top 125, but he is also one of the youngest players on the tour and knows he will get many other chances if he does not make the cut this year."Golf is an important thing because it's my career," Flanagan said. "But there are a lot of other things that are a hell of a lot more important than winning golf tournaments."But that's my job, it's what I want to do and that's why I'm out there."
© 2008 Newcastle Herald