It's Flanagan by 8 at the Tapemark

WEST ST. PAUL -- Angus Flanagan overpowered the front side at Southview Country Club on Saturday, making three birdies and an eagle while playing the nine holes in 5-under-par 31. And basically, he's done the same thing to the field during the first two days of the Tapemark Minnesota PGA Pro-Am.

The 21-year-old University of Minnesota All-American from Woking, England, who is playing in his first tournament as a professional, finished the second round with a 65. His 36-hole total of 131 (11 under) has him eight strokes ahead of second-place Brian Hills going into Sunday's final round. Hills, an instructor/club fitter at 2nd Swing who finished 13th at last year's Tapemark, made six birdies and four bogey while shooting a 69 on his way to 139.

Four players, including seven-time champion Don Berry, 59, are tied for third at 140. Berry, who won his first Tapemark in 1988, 11 years before Flanagan was born, started on the back nine and was 2 over after eight holes, but he played his next eight homes in 4 under and ended up with a 69. 

The defending champ, Chris Meyer, shot 70 and is part of a four-way tie for seventh at 141.

Flanagan, Berry and Meyer were all in the morning wave Saturday, which was probably to their advantage. The wind started blowing early, and was in the 5-to-10-mph range as Flanagan was playing his last few holes, but it got stronger in the afternoon. That made it difficult to pick the right club -- and to keep shots on their intended lines, which helps to explain the higher scores later in the day.

It's only June, but it's already been an eventful year for Flanagan. He won two tournaments during the spring portion of the Gophers' season, and played in the Walker Cup Matches during the second weekend in May, winning two, losing one and tying one for the Great Britain & Ireland side. (The U.S. team won the matches 14 to 12.)

Although he didn't make it past the NCAA Regionals, he ended up No. 11 in the PGA Tour University Rankings. That means he has full status for the new Forme Tour, which will sponsor eight tournaments, beginning next week, and the top five players on the money list after the last tournament (the Tour Championship, Sept. 7-10)  is completed will gain full status on the Korn Ferry Tour for 2022. 

Flanagan plans to play in all eight of the Forme tournaments, and also get back to Minnesota in mid-July to defend the State Open title he won last year.

On Saturday, he, like Berry, started on the back nine at Southview. He pulled his tee shot into the left tress on his second hole, No. 11 (389 yards, par 4), came up just short of the green with his second shot and couldn't save his par. But he got that lost stroke back when he hit an 8 iron to within 3 feet of the hole at the 170-yard, par-3 13th and made the putt for a birdie. 

Flanagan hit a 5-iron second shot onto the green at the 490-yard, par-5 17th and two-putted for another birdie. 

His assault on par on the front nine began at the second hole, a par 3 that was playing 175 yards. He hit a 9-iron and made the birdie putt. He followed that with another birdie at the third (374 yards, par 4), where he hit a gap wedge close. Although he didn't birdie the shortest of Southview's par 5's, the 470-yard fourth, he made up for that omission by hitting a 4 iron to 10 feet at the 476-yard sixth and draining the putt for an eagle. 

At the seventh (371 yards, par 4), he left a 10-footer for birdie on the lip. 

The eighth hole at Southview is a 363-yard par 4 -- and Flanagan drove the green. Actually, his ball ended up about 8 feet short of the green. He could have used his putter from there, because the pin was no more than 20 feet from the front edge. But he's young and has good nerves; so he chipped his second shot, thinking that would giving him a better chance of holing it for another eagle. He narrowly missed and tapped in for his fifth birdie of the day.  

At the ninth, which was playing 331 yards, with the wind quartering from behind and left, Flanagan chose discression over valor and laid up to 100 yards with a 6-iron. He hit an OK approach with his wedge and two-putted for his par. 

Asked afterward if he thought about going for the ninth green, which has water in front of it and out of bounds to the right, Flanagan said he did that in the first round on Friday. He hit his driver over the green then, "and it was a really tough second shot from back there."

Tapemark Minnesota PGA Pro-Am

At Southview Country Club

Par 71, 6,138 yards          

West St. Paul

Second-round results 

Professionals

1. Angus Flanagan                     66-65--131

2. Brian Hills                              70-69--139

T3. Derek Stendahl                    69-71--140

T3. Eric Rolland                          69-71--140

T3. Don Berry                             71-69--140

T3. Kyle Scanlon                        70-70--140

T7. Mike Flaherty                        69-72--141

T7. Thomas Campbell                70-71--141

T7. Chris Meyer                          71-70--141

T7. Jesse Nelson                        72-69--141

Amateurs

1. Tyler Wood                           69-73--142
    
2. Colin Kinsel                          71-72--143

3. Sam Udovich                        69-76--145

Teams 

1. Flanagan/Lemke/Grimsrud/Clark           -44

2. Berry/Irwin/Grausnick/Sullivan               -37

T3. Exsted/Roberts/Schourweiler/Long     -36

T3. Meyer/Lethert/Lovegreen/Fronk          -36