Frankie Capan III was born in Stillwater and claims North Oaks as home. So it was a home game when he teed it up on the PGA Tour at the 3M Open in Blaine in 2023, something he figures to do again this summer.
But there’s a reason Capan, a Tour rookie, received a sponsor’s exemption to play the Waste Management Phoenix Open this week. In many ways, that’s home, too.
“From a young age, I split time between Minnesota and here, and actually pretty much grew up 15 minutes up the road from here,” Capan told reporters at a pre-tournament press conference Wednesday. “I’m very comfortable around this golf course and just kind of been in this area a lot. Actually graduated from high school probably 20 minutes west of here. It’s always fun to come back home and staying with my parents this week, so it’s nice to have some home-cooked meals and sleep in my own bed.”
His mom, Charlynn, cooked him dinner Tuesday evening and breakfast on Wednesday. While Capan now travels the country playing golf, his parents still go back and forth between Arizona and Minnesota. Capan needed the exemption because the Phoenix Open is a fairly prestigious event, known for its thrilling finishing holes and raucous crowd that still draws many of the top players. In such cases, many Korn Ferry Tour grads are often left out in the cold.
But Capan wrote a four-page letter to the tournament — the first of that length directors told him they’d ever received —seeking the exemption, noting his local ties and connection to the tournament. Capan was a standard bearer at the PGA Tour event and played in a smaller event just up the road known as the “Itty-Bitty Open.”
Now, he’s in the big show. Thus far this season, Capan has shown he belongs. He’s made the cut in all three of his starts.
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“It’s been a great experience so far. Been able to play the weekend in all three events that I’ve played. I would say it’s been a good start,” Capan said. “But looking forward to just kind of stacking up some more experience and getting our name up there (near the top of the leaderboard) as much as possible.”
As for the wild environment the Phoenix Open produces, Capan said, “I think it’s going to be a great experience for me. Definitely kind of newer territory, but I’m just looking forward to
getting the week started.”
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