Airfoil cooling hole flag region

An airfoil of a turbine bucket, comprising:

• a body having opposing pressure and suction surfaces extending axially between opposing leading and trailing edges and radially between inward and outward portions,
• the body being formed to define a substantially radially extending cooling hole therein, which is configured to be receptive of a supply of a coolant such that the coolant is forced to flow along a length thereof to remove heat from the body, and
• the body being further formed to define a flag region therein, which is fluidly communicative with the cooling hole and thereby configured to be receptive of a portion of the supply of the coolant such that the coolant portion is directed to form a vortex within the flag region to increase heat removal from the body beyond that provided by the coolant flow through the cooling hole,
• the flag region having a same width in a circumferential dimension as that of the cooling hole in the circumferential dimension and being open at one axial end to permit fluid communication with the cooling hole and closed at an opposing axial end to facilitate formation of the vortex within the flag region.