Flanagan
Outlasts Wittenberg In 37 Holes
He
Becomes First Australian To Win In 100 Years
Oakmont
, Pa. -- Nick Flanagan, 19, became the first Australian in 100 years
and first foreign-born player in 32 years to win the 2003 U.S. Amateur
Championship at historic Oakmont Country Club Sunday. The compact
Aussie defeated USA Walker Cup team member Casey Wittenberg, 18,
of Memphis, Tenn., in 37 holes, to match Walter Travis as an Australian
winner. Flanagan, from Eleebana in New South Wales, won the Havemeyer
Trophy 100 years after Travis claimed the last of his three championships
in 1903.
To
be here this quickly and doing it in such a great tournament is
unbelievable,” said Flanagan, who is the second-youngest champion
to Tiger Woods, who was 18 when he won in 1994. “I was lucky
I had my short game this week because my long game was struggling.
Flanagan
Punctuates Cinderella Story
Oakmont,
Pa. – Nick Flanagan stepped onto the practice putting range about
7:15 a.m. Sunday when suddenly an unrecognizable figure emerged
from the shadows of the Oakmont clubhouse.
He
had a telegram in his hand. Flanagan flinched in shock, opening
it. It was a card from fellow Australian Greg Norman. It read: “From
one ‘Aussie’ to another. I wish you well tomorrow. Be the first
Australian to win the title in 100 years. Play loose and play smart.
Sincerely, Greg Norman.”
Final
2 Members Of 2003 USA Walker Cup Match Team Named
Far
Hills, N.J. – Lee Williams, 21, of Alexander City, Ala., and George
Zahringer, 50, of New York, N.Y., have been named as the final two
members of the 10-man United States of America team for the Walker
Cup Match that will be played at Ganton Golf Club in North Yorkshire,
England, from Sept. 6-7, against a team representing Great Britain
and Ireland.
Final
Round Photo Gallery
Player
Interviews
Finalists
Come From Different Worlds, Share Same Goal
Oakmont,
Pa. – Most of the talk this week centered on all the old geezers
to make it deep into match play. That
focus did a 180-degree swivel Friday when the 35-and-over club took
a bow and exited gracefully, setting up a semifinal where David
Oh suddenly became the senior of the group at 22.
Now,
as the field of four dwindled to two, the championship just got
younger. Australia’s Nick Flanagan, 19, and 18-year-old Casey Wittenberg
scraped and scrambled for Sunday’s opportunity. It’s the youngest
final, and first teenage duel, since the format went solely back
to match play in 1973.
Semifinal
Photo Gallery
Notebook:
Williams Bolsters Case For Walker Cup Team
Oakmont,
Pa. – Of the four semifinalists Saturday, only Casey Wittenberg
has been named to this year’s Walker Cup team. Two slots are still
available and invitations will be made at the end of the U.S. Amateur.
Little-Known
Flanagan Now On The Radar
Oakmont,
Pa. – What do we know of Nicholas Flanagan? Well, for starters,
he’s one of the semifinalists in this year’s U.S. Amateur. We also
know he prefers to wear sunglasses on overcast, hazy days when playing.
Fourth
Round Match Play Photo Gallery
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