The Gophers men's golf team will boost its international flavor by adding one of the top recruits in program history.
Angus Flanagan of Surrey, England, signed his National Letter of Intent the team announced Tuesday. He is eligible to tee up for the Gophers in the fall and expected to quickly position himself as one of the top golfers in the Big Ten.
"Angus will arrive in Minnesota as one of the highest ranked recruits in program history," Gophers men's golf coach John Carlson said. "As a leader of Team England, he will make an immediate impact within the Big Ten Conference and on the national scene. We are excited about all four additions to Gopher Golf in the 2017 class!"
Flanagan, 18, joins Ben Frazzini, Evan Long and Reece Sanders as part of the incoming freshman class. The Gophers currently have two international standouts on the roster with senior Jose Mendez (San Jose, Costa Rica) and junior Runar Arnorsson (Hafnarfjorour, Iceland).
Flanagan, a member of the England Boys Golf team, ranks 16th among golfers 18-and-under in the European Golf Rankings with a scoring average of 71.80 in six qualifying events. He also won the 2016 Carris Trophy shooting 11-under to claim the English Boys Championship and earned the Duke of York Young Champions lowest round medal.
Last week, Flanagan finished third in the Peter McEvoy Trophy tournament.
Flanagan joins a long line of standout English golfers, including PGA star Justin Rose, that have won the Carris Trophy. Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open and 2016 Rio Olympics champion that finished second at the Masters earlier this month, won the Carris Trophy in 1995 and the Peter McEvoy Trophy in 1998.
"As soon as I arrived at Minnesota I fell in love with it and saw myself fitting into the University very well," Flanagan said. "I have got on really well with the team and coaching staff throughout. The Big Ten Conference has big colleges in it and I am really looking forward to competing in it. I want to compete against the best players every week."
Flanagan also has international success. He was part of England's winning team at the 2016 Boys' Home Internationals and competed with England's U-16 team in several matches in 2015. This season, he was selected to the 10-member England boys team.
