Donnelly Industries Sponsors Frank Esposito On Champions Tour
Donnelly Industries, a long-time sponsor of the New Jersey State Golf Association, has found a way to support a local pro who has made the big-time.
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. The logo on the right side of his shirt clearly reads “Donnelly,” for Donnelly Industries which is his newest sponsor.
Donnelly Construction, Inc., which has rebuilt several golf course clubhouses, operates as a green builder and property developer. It has projects in retail and automotive, restaurant and hospitality, commercial, financial, medical, and residential sectors; and country club, school, and houses of worship projects.
The company was founded in 1977 and is based in Wayne, N.J.. Donnelly Construction, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Donnelly Industries, Inc. Donnelly has completed building renovations at Baltusrol, Preakness Hills, North Jersey, Somerset Hills, Knickerbocker , Trump National, Spring Lake, Mendham White Beeches, Fairmount and Crestmont, among others.
The three NJSGA Player of the Year awards – Men’s Amateur, Senior Amateur and Women’s Amateur - are sponsored by Donnelly Construction.
“We elected to be a lead sponsor for Frank Esposito this year while he plays on the PGA Champions Tour -We felt it would be another way to support golf and support a local golf pro here in New Jersey,” said Rod Donnelly, founder and CEO of Donnelly Industries. Mr. Donnelly also sits on the Board of Trustees of the NJSGA.
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.
INTERVIEW WITH FRANK ESPOSITO ABOUT UPCOMING SEASON
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 is a graduate of Rutgers University where he was a member of the varsity golf team.
