Minnesota State Am: Frankie Capan rallies to claim title

Frankie Capan scrambled to rally as the final round of the Minnesota State Amateur came to a close. Learning from last week’s blown lead at the Minnesota State Open which saw University of Minnesota’s Angus Flanagan pull away from Capan who could not recover from a couple of final round bogeys, he nearly repeated himself at Edina Country Club on Wednesday. Capan floundered away his lead twice in the final round but overcame his mistakes to post a one-under 71 to come away with the victory. “It always feels good to win and hoist a trophy at the end of the day,” Capan told Nick Hunter of the Minnesota Golf Association, “but I wish I had a couple shots back.” Capan continued to say that his game is “feeling good” following last week’s tough loss and that he “really wanted this one” when talking about the Minnesota Amateur. Treading water on the front nine, Capan made the turn at even-par on the day. As those who started the day behind him began to climb the leaderboard, Capan knew it was time to make some moves. Capan tightened his belt to post a 1-under back nine, sealing the deal with two clutch pars on holes 17 and 18 to claim the Minnesota Amateur by two strokes over North Dakota State senior and defending MGA Players’ champion, Andrew Israelson, who made a charge with a final round 65. Capan, who is transferring to Florida Gulf Coast later this fall, made the decision to leave Alabama to team up with his close friend and final round playing partner Van Holmgren. “Florida is a great place and I’ve always felt as though I’d eventually like to move there, assuming I go on to play professional golf,” Capan said. “After I made the decision to leave Alabama, he [Holmgren] and I went down to Florida Gulf Coast and checked it out and felt it was the best place for me.”