Double, Double, Toil & Trouble -- Capan Overcomes It & Makes US Open

USGA

If you were going to make a graph of the way things have gone for Frankie Capan on the golf course during the last week, the direction would be up, definitely -- but not in a straight line.

The 23-year-old former Minnesota State Amateur champion (2020) turned professional at the end of last summer, and he made through the four stages of Korn Ferry Q-School, claiming medalist honors in both the First Stage and the Second, and tying for eighth in the Final Stage. (There was also a Preliminary Stage, and he finished third in that one.) So he's on the Korn Ferry Tour now, and last week he got off to a great start at the UNC Health Championship in Raleigh, N.C., shooting a 6-under-par 64 on Thursday in the opening round. 

He followed that with a kind of ho-hum 71, but through 17 holes on Saturday, he was 4 under for the round, 9 under for the tournament, and tied for fifth. Then came disaster, in the form of a double bogey at the par-4 18th, and with that, Capan fell back into a tie for 17th. It got worse Sunday morning, as he bogeyed three of the first six holes in the final round. He turned things around and got going in the other direction again, however, beginning with a birdie at the ninth hole. Then, after parring the first three holes on the back nine, he proceeded to birdie the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th holes, and the resulting 67 gave him a 72-hole total of 270 (minus 10) and elevated him back up into a tie for sixth.

That was worth $33,250, which moved him up from No. 41 on the Korn Ferry money list to No. 30, with $119,123. He's also 30th on the points list, and the top 30 on the Korn Ferry points list at the end of the year will graduate to the PGA Tour. At least, that was the way the system was supposed to work -- but that was before the new combined PGA, DP World & Liv Tour was announced on Tuesday. 

Capan's pattern from the weekend -- really good golf, with an occasional disaster mixed in -- repeated itself to some extent on Monday. He was in Durham, N.C., at Old Chatham Club, attempting to qualify for the 2023 US Open. There were 76 players trying for five spots in Durham, and things were going well for Capan in the first round. He made two eagles in the first 11 holes and was 7 under through 17 holes, but then he doubled the 18th -- again.

Despite the double, he shot a 5-under 67, and the resilient Capan started the second round with a birdie on the first hole. He turned in 2-under 34 and, after parring the 10th hole, he went on another birdie binge -- 11, 12, 14 and 16. This time, he parred the 17th and the 18th holes for a bogey-free 66, and that was good enough -- just barely -- to get him into the Open.  His 36-hole total of 133 put him in a three-way tie for third -- plus fourth and fifth -- so there was no playoff required.

This year's Open will be played June 15-18 on the North Course at The Los Angeles Country Club.

 No one else from Minnesota, or with any real Minnesota connections, made the Open in any of the 10 sectional qualifying tournaments that were played Monday, or in any of the three that were played in May. 

Troy Merritt, the former two-sport star (basketball and golf)  at Fridley who has won on the PGA Tour, missed by two shots in Spriingfield, Ohio. A 36-hole tab of 133 played off (3 for 2), and Merritt shot 135 (66-69).

Also missing by two were former University of Minnesota star Erik Van Rooyen and Carson Herron, who recently completed his sophomore year at New Mexico. Van Rooyen has won on the European (now DP) Tour and the PGA Tour, and has racked up nearly 5 million euros and $5 million in the process. He posted a pair of 69s for an overall 138 at Brookside Golf & Country Club and The Lakes Golf & Country Club, where it took 136 to get into a 4-for-3 playoff for the last spots.

As for Herron, last summer, he qualified for the US Amateur, and that  gave his family four consecutive generations in the Am. His grandfather Carson Lee Herron had made it, and so had his grandfather Carson Herron, and his father, Tim Herron, who went on to win four times on the PGA Tour and take in more than $19 million. On Monday, Carson the Younger was trying to make it four generations in a row for the Herrons in the US Open. He didn't miss by that much. There were 103 prospective qualifiers trying for 11 spots, and Herron put himself in a hole by bogeying the 17th and 18th holes at Lakes and posting a first-round 71.  But he birdied the first four holes at Brookside in the second round, and after making a bogey at the fifth, he bitdied the sixth and seventh holes on his way to a front-nine 31. He got to 6 under for the round with a birdie at the 10th, but ran out of birdies and bogeyed the par-5 16th. All of which added up to a 67. So he, like Van Rooyen, ended up at 138.    

Derek Hitchner, the former Minnesota state high school champion from Blake who recently concluded his college career at Pepperdine with a tie for 11th at the NCAA Championships, missed a 2-for-1 playoff by three shots in Summit, N.J., at Canoe Brook CC. He opened with a 1-over 72 but rallied in the second round, making four birdies in his last seven holes on the way to a 68.   


The US Open will be played June 15-18 at The Los Angeles Country Club' North Course

US Open Sectional Qualifying 

Durham, N.C. 

At Old Chatham Club -- par 72

76 players for 5 spots

What it took: 133 (3-way tie for third)

T3. Franke Capan,  North Oaks                    67-66--133


Springfield, Ohio 

At Springfield CC -- par 70

75 for 5 spots

What it took: 133 (3-for-1 playoff)

Troy Merritt, Fridley                                       66-69--135

Thomas Longbella, Chippewa Falls             73-71--144

Thomas Campbell, Savage                          71-74--145

Will Frazier, Apple Valley                             78-69--147

Chris Swenson, Fergus Falls.                     77-76--153

Joel B. Johnson, Hugo.                               75-82--157

Ernie Rose, Edina.                                       85-WD


Summit, N.J. 

At Canoe Brook CC -- par 71

67 for 4 spots

What it took: 137 (2-for-1 playoff)

Derek Hitchner, Minneapolis.                    72-68--140

Alex Beach, Stillwater.                               77-74--151


Lakewood, Wash. 

At Tacoma C & GC -- par 71

54 for. 2 spots

What it took: 139 (2-way tie for first)

Ben Warian, Stillwater                             69-76--145

Gunnar Broin, Shorewood                       72-75--147


Columbus, Ohio

At Brookside G&CC -- par 72

& The Lakes G&CC -- par 72

103 for 11 spots

What it took: 133 (for-for-3 playoff) 

Erik Van Rooyen, South Africa            69-69--138

Carson Herron, Deephaven.              71-67--138

Brady Madsen, Raymond                   72-75--147


Boynton, Fla. 

At Pine Tree GC -- par 70

51 for 3 spots 

What it took: 138 (3-for-1 playoff)

Van Holmgren, Plymouth.                   77-74--151


Rockville, Md. 

At Woodmont CC -- par 71

60 for 4 spots

What it took: 139 (4-for-2 playoff)

Josh Persons, Fargo                         72-79--151


Dallas (May 22)

At Northwood Club -- par 70

& Bent Tree CC -- par 71

What it. took: 133 (5-for-2 playoff) 

Andre Metzger, Sioux Falls                71-68--139