Brooklake's Frank Esposito Makes Champions Tour Full-time Debut

Frank Esposito Jr., of Brooklake, a two-time winner of the NJSGA State Open and runner-up in 2014, is playing as a full-time rookie on the PGA Champions Tour and makes his full-time debut this weekend at the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Fla.

Esposito's tee time at the Allianz Championship on Friday, Feb. 6, is 12:10 p.m.

Esposito, who lives in Monroe, N.J., was the only player to post four sub-par rounds and capped a brilliant two weeks of golf with a 1-under-par 71 for a 72-hole total of 11-under-par 277 to win the 2014 Champions Tour National Qualifying Tournament at Orange County National (Panther Lake Course) in Winter Garden, Fla., on Friday, Nov. 21.

Q & A WITH FRANK ESPOSITO ALLIANZ LEADERBOARD

The victory came less than a week after the two-time NJSGA Open champion won the Senior PGA Professional National Championship in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and received a check for $20,000.

The Champions Q-School victory, which was worth $30,000, gave him (as one of the top five finishers) fully-exempt status on the Champions Tour through the re-order in the 2015 season, while the next seven players are conditionally exempt.

Esposito, 51, who led all players with 20 birdies including one on the par-5 finishing hole, was conditionally exempt in 2014. Esposito this year won the NJSGA/NJPGA Senior Open and was named NJPGA Senior Player of the Year. He was runner-up in the State Open after winning that championship in 2013 for a second time. He is already in the NJPGA Hall of Fame.

He recently picked up Donnelly Industries of Wayne, N.J. as a major sponsor. Its CEO, Rod Donnelly, sits on the NJSGA Board of Trustees and Donnelly sponsor the three NJSGA Player of the Year Award. The logo on the right side of Esposito’s shirt clearly reads “Donnelly,” for Donnelly Industries.

He is a graduate of Rutgers University where he was a member of the varsity golf team.

In 2014, Esposito was a part-time qualifier on the PGA Champions Tour. He made the cut in two of the three events he qualified for and earned $13,000. Also in 2014, Esposito won the NJSGA/NJPGA Senior Open and was runner-up in the State Open.

In New Jersey, he is one of the most decorated local PGA professionals. In addition to winning two State Opens (2013 and 1999), he is already in the New Jersey PGA Hall of Fame and has won 12 area "majors."