September 22, 2024 PGATOUR.COM
Frankie Capan III has broken through in a big way in consecutive weeks on the Korn Ferry Tour.
After finishing tied for 12th last week at the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation and becoming #TOURBound in the process, Capan was the captain of the field at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, winning the penultimate event of the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season.
“It was great. I'm just really happy and blessed to be standing with you here today and just really excited with how my game has progressed from last year to this year and just kind of continuing as this year has gone on,” Capan said in Columbus. “It feels fantastic.”
Capan fired a 1-under 70 in the final round at the Scarlet Course at Ohio State University Golf Club to beat a trio of golfers including William Mouw, Thomas Rosenmueller (#TOURBound, both) and Carter Jenkins, by two shots.
It was Jenkins’ fifth top-10 of the season, moving him up to No. 37 in the Points List with just one event remaining.
Capan jumped up nine spots to No. 5 in the Points List.
Regardless of the finish next week at the Korn Ferry Tour season finale, Matt McCarty has already clinched the top spot on the Points List. He mathematically cannot be passed by No. 2, Max McGreevy, even with a McGreevy victory. McCarty finished tied for fifth in Ohio, three shots back of Capan.
Capan, the overnight leader, was 2-under through three holes but bogeyed Nos. 5 and 7 to leave the door open a crack to the chasing pack. He also bogeyed the par-4 11th but added a circle on the scorecard on the very next hole. Capan parred his final six holes coming in which was good enough for the title. Jenkins was charging hard – his 4-under effort was tied for the second-lowest round of the day – but he eventually ran out of holes as the weather pivoted and made for a gusty final stretch.
It was a tremendous result, Capan said, after a ton of big learnings in 2023.
Although he had three top-10 results and finished 51st on the Points List last year, Capan said he “failed” a lot. But because of that, he learned a lot. The golf has been solid for a while, he explained, but with life also dialed in, the big results have followed.
“I think for me it's more just kind of putting the pieces together and kind of trying to figure out how they all fit. Was able to get them to fit pretty nicely this week,” Capan said. “It's been great. It feels tremendous to be here.
“I think for me it's a lot of stuff off the course, too. It's been really important just because this game is to incredibly mental, and you have to be in the right frame of mind the entire time when you're out there. I think a lot of my off-course stuff has gotten a lot better over the last year and a half.”
With the win, Capan joins a pair of FedExCup champions in Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler as players who have triumphed at the Scarlet Course. He said that raising the trophy at this event in particular was extra special.
“It's a PGA TOUR-style golf course and I'm not surprised that those guys had success, lots of success, out on the PGA TOUR,” he said.
Capan has already been close this season on the Korn Ferry Tour, with a playoff loss and another tie for second last month at the Magnit Championship. Constantly knocking at the door earned him a PGA TOUR card – mission accomplished, there – but to put a bow on the season with a win means just a little bit more.
“It’s been a lot of hard work,” Capan said. “It feels nice just to kind of get the monkey off my back.”
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