Six years after hitting his last home run for the Mississippi State baseball team, Jeff Flagg is still hitting tape-measure blasts.
On Tuesday night, Flagg’s ability to hit the ball long won him $250,000 and the title of world champion.
Flagg, a member of MSU’s 2007 College World Series team, was one of two former Bulldogs — Conner Powers was the other — competing in the Re/Max World Long Drive Championship at the Latiue Country Club in Las Vegas. After fighting cold, windy conditions, Flagg was the last golfer left standing, as he uncorked a final drive that covered 365 yards, 20 inches, a shot that enabled the Jacksonville, Florida, native to top fellow competitor Jeff Crittenden by 13 inches.
Once the measurement was made official, Flagg was crowned the Long Drive World Champion.
“I’m speechless,” said Flagg on the Golf Channel’s live broadcast. “It probably won’t sink in for a while. I think I’ll treat myself to a nice present, but I don’t know what it is yet.”
Flagg’s present was a championship-style belt given annually to the long drive champion, a belt Flagg tried on and wore as cowbells rang on the cold Las Vegas night.
A 6-foot-6, 245-pound outfielder and first baseman at MSU, Flagg was drafted by the New York Mets in 2008. A two-time minor league All-Star, Flagg was named the organization’s player of the year in 2009.
After ending his professional baseball career in 2012, he returned to MSU and completed his degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology. Not wanting to leave athletic competition behind, Flagg stayed active and became involved with long drive competitions, which culminated in his world championship.
“It’s unbelievable,” Flagg said. “It has been a great week. I’m honored to represent everybody up here by wearing this belt.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @ctsportseditor
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