Gophers golfer Angus Flanagan set to close out college career w/ Walker Cup, NCAAs

If these are the last few weeks of Angus Flanagan’s career as a Minnesota Gopher, what a way to go out.

This weekend, he’ll be at famed Seminole GC in Florida playing for Team Great Britain-Ireland in the prestigious Walker Cup – the amateur companion to the Ryder Cup.

Click here for more information on the 2021 Walker Cup

Flanagan is familiar with the Seminole course in Juno Beach, Florida. A trip there four years ago ultimately connected him to Gophers golf coach Justin Smith – which prompted his move from his native England to Minnesota.

That trip to Seminole also included the course pro suggesting Flanagan pick up some merchandise promoting the 2021 Walker Cup – at the time, four years in the future – suggesting Angus might even have a chance to play in the tournament.

After the Walker Cup, Flanagan heads to an NCAA Regional tournament in Indiana – as the #2-seed at his site – with eyes on a potential run to the NCAA Championships.

KSTP Sports’ chatted with Angus Flanagan about the incredible opportunity to be part of the Walker Cup, his reflections on the four years since he made the decision to leave England to embark on his college career at the University of Minnesota and the recent 59 he shot in a warmup round at a local course

During his time at the "U", the Woking, England-native has established himself as one of the top collegiate golfers in the country and one of the most decorated Gophers ever.

He’s won a Big Ten Championship, been First Team All Big Ten twice, set a course record in winning the 2020 Minnesota Open, made his PGA Tour debut at the 2020 3M Open, and won a collegiate showcase that earned him a spot in the PGA’s 2021 Genesis Open in Los Angeles.

Flanagan won the last two ‘regular season’ tournaments the Gopher golf team played this season – at Purdue and Nebraska. His play this year earned him selection as a Third Team All-American, the highest such ranking for a Gopher since 2005.

With the NCAA granting student-athletes an additional year of eligibility to offset seasons lost to the coronavirus pandemic, Flanagan does have the option to return for a fifth year as a Gopher. However, the new PGA Tour University rankings could offer an easy path to membership on a pro tour – an option that would be difficult to refuse.

Flanagan is currently ranked 9th on the PGA Tour University rankings. The Top 5 in the final rankings receive exemption to play on the Korn Ferry Tour – the primary feeder tour for the PGA Tour. The next ten places earn exemptions on the PGA’s Latin American, Canadian or Chinese tours, with additional exemptions into qualifying for the Korn Ferry Tour.

Final rankings are determined after the NCAA Championships.

Flanagan earned the #2-seed for the NCAA’s Regional in Noblesville, Indiana on May 17-19. Flanagan is one of ten individual players at the site, whose teams did not qualify for regionals. Only the top-finishing individual player at each site advances to the NCAA Championships that run May 28-June 2 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.