4 October 2023
The first season of Frankie Capan III’s professional golf career concludes this week at Victoria National Golf Club in Indiana, the site of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
It’s still in the realm of possibilities that, by week’s end, the North Oaks native could be the proud owner of a PGA Tour card.
Such a turn of events would make Capan the only Minnesota native on the PGA Tour, though it’s a long shot heading into the final week of the feeder tour’s season.
Capan currently sits at No. 50 in the season-long Korn Ferry points standings. The top 30 by the end of the weekend will earn PGA Tour cards. Jumping 20 spots may seem impossible, but Capan has a clear avenue to do it.
The PGA Tour website noted Capan needs at least a three-way tie for third in this week’s 73-man field to move into the top 30, but that’s dependent on the results of others. What’s more likely is he needs a top-two finish. A victory would unequivocally cement Capan’s spot on the world’s top tour.
That’s a lot of pressure to bestow onto the shoulders of a Korn Ferry Tour rookie, but Capan seemed to enter the playoffs a few weeks back with the proper perspective.
“I’ve had the outlook that I believe in myself and my game and I’ve done a lot of great things up until this point,” he said in a video posted on the Korn Ferry Tour’s social media accounts. “Although I’ve had a lot of highs and lows, I feel like I’ve learned a lot, which has been good for me. So, no matter what happens, it’s been a great year for learning and growing, which I’m really pleased with.”
Capan finished in a tie for 11th at the most recent Korn Ferry playoff event, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Ohio a couple of weeks back. That marked his best finish in nearly three months.
He made a recent change on his bag, going from his mom — who caddied for him for most of the season, though always on a temporary basis — to former PGA Tour caddie Damon Green. Green, who has caddied for Capan in each of his last two events, was two-time major champion Zach Johnson’s longtime caddie before the two parted ways at the end of 2018.
After his first-round 5-under 67 last week, which had him in the lead at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, Capan credited Green with helping him map out his goals for the round, while also noting Green gets most all of his yardage numbers and ramps up the accountability.
“Which is good. He’s someone that I respect immensely, so whenever he has something to say, I really want to listen to him and learn from a lot of what he’s saying,” Capan said. “I think practice rounds have been helpful, too, just kind of hitting putts and different shots to where it looks like the pins are going to be.”
That’s the type of on-course support Capan realized would be beneficial to him. It’s one of many revelations the 23-year-old has uncovered in Year 1 of professional golf. That he managed to make these discoveries while playing a hectic schedule in his first year out of college is impressive.
“I think it’s important to kind of own your process and understand what makes you better and the things you need to do week in and week out that give you the best chance to compete,” Capan said. “And I feel like I’ve just learned what those things are, and I’m continuing to work on them and do my best.”
Capan didn’t have playing status anywhere upon leaving Florida Gulf Coast University. He played a slew of amateur events last summer before giving Q-School a go in the fall. A magical run there gave him his shot on the Korn Ferry Tour. He certainly has made the most of the opportunity.
Capan, at the very least, has status for next year’s Korn Ferry Tour wrapped up. And he’s a shoo-in to finish in the top 60, earning him a free pass to the final stage of this year’s Q-School in mid-December, where the top five finishers will also earn PGA Tour cards for next season.
“Even just getting through Q School (last year) and having status on this Tour (my) first year out of college is a great accomplishment,” Capan said. “So kind of just understanding that I’m in a good spot. I’ve earned a lot of really cool things this year, and just really trying to take advantage of them as we get close to the end of the year.”
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