Frankie Capan III learned a lot from his 58, and it could help him reach the PGA TOUR

When you’re 24, life is still very much at your fingertips. The world is big, the world is yours. With professional golf, however, there’s no guarantee for any immediate success.

What there is, though, is an opportunity for big-time growth and maturity when you’re trying try climb the game’s biggest ladder. It’s something Frankie Capan III has leaned into so far this year, and after a first-round 58(!) in Texas, the lessons and the learning are hopefully setting him up for a fabulous season ahead.

“Last year I just learned a lot about myself and tying it into things to avoid and things to pour into,” Capan said. “It may not have been the best start to the season for me, but I feel like my game was trending in the right direction, so really I’ve just been working hard on doing the right things and keeping the game simple and believing in myself.”

Capan missed three of his first six cuts to start 2024 but has turned on the jets in his last three events, finishing T9-T8-4. That final fourth-place result began with his magic-number 58 at the Veritex Bank Championship, which was one off the Korn Ferry Tour’s all-time low single-round score of 57, set by Cristobal Del Solar at this year’s Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard.

Capan enters this week’s AdventHealth Championship at No. 22 on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Points List. The top 30 after the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance will earn 2025 PGA TOUR membership.

Lessons learned from the 58 and its aftermath could help him reach his career’s promised land.

With a laugh, Capan said he was very much aware of how many under par he was the whole time, but he forgot the par of the course. He thought his 8-footer on the final hole was for a 59.

Here’s how he explains it.

“I was obviously marking scores on the front nine but as I got to the back (nine) I was 6 under and birdied 10 and 11 and I was about to pull out the card and mark it up … but I just wanted to keep playing,” Capan said. “And because I wasn’t marking them … just kind of forgot the par of the course. I knew I was 13 under walking up the last, but in my head, I thought it was a par 72. I was asking my dad what (the final putt was for), and he said it was 58, and I was like, ‘Oh that’s cool.’

“I knew Scottie (Scheffler) shot 59. I don’t want to tie him. No offense to Scottie. I’d rather have it alone.”

The biggest learning experience for Capan, he said, was less about the in-the-moment scoring effort and more about everything that happened after-the-fact. Capan lives about 30 minutes away from Texas Rangers Golf Club, and there were some second-round delays due to weather. He found himself caught between traveling home or sticking around and waiting, and when he ended up waiting, he ended up talking. A lot.

“It was just an odd circumstance that occurred. I got to the course and sat there for about four hours before teeing off (and) a ton of people were talking about the round and I just had to get away from it and listen to some music, sit in a corner,” Capan said. “It’s not like I’m thinking, ‘Well the next time I shoot 58,’ but the next time I’m in a similar situation I’ll probably not be chatting to so many people.

“My agent and I were talking, and he was like, ‘Obviously you just did it, but you have the ability (to shoot 58) every day.’ I shot 58 and didn’t birdie two of the easiest holes. Understanding when I’m playing well, those are the things I’m capable of doing. It’s just golf and it’s just a number, but obviously people are going to make a big deal – and it is a big deal – but it was a fun round and something I’ll never forget.”

Capan said he’s made some personal and professional changes for 2024 that have given him a new level of comfort as he navigates the season. He said he’s been happy with how his iron game has improved year-over-year (he was 90th in Greens in Regulation in 2024 but has improved to 22nd in the same statistic this season) and, on the mental side, he’s discovered how powerful a tool the brain can be.

“Just allowing myself to play with a little bit of freedom and trust my game,” Capan said. “Golf is a funny game and some days you feel like you have it or you don’t and other days you can just scrape together a 65. Allowing myself to have the freedom to have fun and hit golf shots, I just want to get as much out of it as I can.”

Capan has given himself an excellent shot at earning a PGA TOUR card for the first time but admits for 2024 he didn’t really have any specific goals. Things are more process-oriented this season, but of course, if he ends up No. 1 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, you won’t hear him complaining.

Some changes are afoot for Capan, but with plenty of confidence and a good amount of comfort with those changes, he’s hopeful for a solid summertime stretch on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“For me it’s more just trying to play the best golf that I can play and just get the most out of myself. There have been decisions that my team and I have made, and a lot of them have helped me narrow my focus on what I love to do,” Capan said. “If my time is oriented towards the distraction of something else, I feel like I’m going to be diluted when I’m competing, whereas (that isn’t the case) if I’m confident in what I’m playing and what I have in my bag.

“The on-course/off-course balance is in a really good spot right now. I have some great people around me and it’s fun to see some good results.”