SAN ANTONIO-based Belmont professional Nick Flanagan won a play-off to take the inaugural $300,000 Cathedral Invitational on Tuesday and shelve retirement - at least for now.
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In his last tournament before returning to the US, Flanagan fired a pair of 69s to be alongside Steve Arnold at six-under.
The 38-year-old, who has been plagued by a chronic wrist injury, held his nerve with a par at the first play-off hole which was enough to be crowned champion and pocket $100,000.
The mixed field featured a who's who of Australian golf.
Seven-time major champion Karrie Webb, had a two-shot lead with two holes to play but made double bogey at the par-3 17th and then dropped another shot at the last to finish at five-under.
Webb and Grace Kim were equal third, a stroke ahead of Marc Leishman.
US Masters winner Adam Scott was tied for 11th at one-under.
Fellow Hunter professional Blake Windred (73,77) was tied for 30th at six over.
The win finished a whirlwind trip Down Under for Flanagan, who finished tied for 18th in the Australian PGA and 47th in the Queensland PGA.
As he did before the 2019 Australian PGA Championship where he finished third behind Adam Scott, Flanagan had considered calling full-time on his career.
"I wanted to come back and I pretty much just said we'll see what happens and if it goes great, great, and if it doesn't then we'll sit down over Christmas and decide what's next," Flanagan told PGA Australia website.
"It's not the first time I've done that - the last time I did it I finished third two weeks in a row. Maybe there's something to that attitude of kind of knowing it's not that big a deal if I'm not going to play golf as a career. It really just lets you go out and free-wheel it.
"With two kids now every cent counts. For me to keep chasing these tournaments and spending the money to come over, if you don't perform it goes really quick and your priorities change.
"This will definitely give me a little bit of breathing room to be able to come back and play a little bit next year, the events at the beginning of the year, and hopefully bring the family with me which we haven't been able to do with how expensive it can be.
"I don't know; we'll see."
One shot back entering the second round, Flanagan opened with a birdie and picked up shots at the fifth and seventh to turn three under
A birdie at 11 was countered by a bogey at 15, his trusty putter proving the difference on the lightning-fast Cathedral greens.
"I was just consistent. I wasn't hitting any really bad shots or many really good shots but I just knew if I could get myself on the green or close to the green that my putter was going to do the rest," said Flanagan, a US Amateur champion and four-time winner on the secondary Korn Ferry Tour in the US.
"There were so many difficult putts from 50-60 feet out there. They're hard enough at the best of times but when the greens are rolling as fast as they were.
"I made an absolute bomb down seven which could have gone 15 feet by or five feet short. You need those lucky breaks to get a win.
"It was just one of those weeks where things kind of went my way."
James Gardiner
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
