Interviewing Frank Esposito, New Full Member Of Champions Tour
In his wildest dreams, New Jersey’s Frank Esposito Jr., the long-time pro at Brooklake Country Club never thought he’d win two of the most important tournaments of his life in the span of a week. When the dust settled, Esposito was fully exempt for the 2015 Champions Tour and was $50,000 richer.
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.
The victory comes 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, which was worth $30,000, victory 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.
Coincidentally, Brooklake once had another head pro play full-time on a pro tour. Ralph Guhldahl won the 1938 U.S. Open and 1939 Masters as the standing head pro at Braidburn (renamed Brooklake). You can look it up.
Q: WHAT WAS IT LIKE WINNING THESE BIG BACK-TO-BACK TOURNAMENTS?:
A: I had spoken a day before the Senior CPC with a friend of mine, Mike Diffley, who coaches golfers and everything we talked about was staying positive. I went in with a positive attitude and my game came together. I started doing things well and when I made a few puts early, that gave me momentum.
What really helped was that the Senior CPC ended on Sunday, so I traveled to Orlando on Monday and was back on the golf course for the Champions qualifying on Tuesday. At Tour School, to win it, you have to catch a hot week, and the momentum from the Senior CPC was key. It’s funny how things worked out. At the Senior CPC, I had a three-shot lead going into the last round. I was nervous of course, but I said to myself, I might as well figure out how to keep going because, God willing, I’d be in the same position at Champions Q-School. And, as it turned out, I was.
Q: WHAT ROLE DID PAST EXPERIENCE PLAY IN HELPING YOU SUCCEED?
A: It helps being 51,that you can think things through. To have been in the same position the week before really helped the following week. Good play kind of helps I don’t know if I’ve mellowed, but I was too intense in the past. I put too much pressure on myself. It was like life or death. What really helped was playing in some Champions Tour events this year, traveling to places like Mississippi and some other qualifiers and see how these guys go about their business. With these guys, it’s not so much emphasis on the golf swing. They’re all so good. They know how to get it done. When things aren’t working great, you need to take the rounds and turn the 75s into 71s. and when you get hot, you have to ride it. I’m trying to not be so hard on myself, and that helps.
Q: ARE THERE PLAYERS ON THE CHAMPIONS TOUR YOU CAN COMPARE YOURSELF WITH?
A: Guys like Jim Albus, Jack Kiefer and Dana Quigley were all club pros like myself. More recently, Mike Goodus, who was a very successful amateur, at age 45 wanted to give it a shot and he’s done well. I remember playing with Dana Quigley at the PGA of America event. He had to go through qualifiers and got acclimated to playing on the Champions Tour and his career is second to none. They got it in their mind that they wanted to do it and stayed focused, There’s always certain things you can do better, but it comes down to getting it done and shooting good numbers.
Q: WHAT ROLE DID YOUR COACH, LENNY SITER OF MOUNTAN RIDGE, PLAY IN YOUR RECENT SUCCESS?
A: Lenny told me it’s not about the swing anymore. Enough with the swing. You have all the shots. It’s amazing to see what you can accomplish when you just let it go and forget about the swing. I’m so critical of my golf game.
Q: WHAT IS IT LIKE TO PLAY WITH THE LEAD IN THESE BIG CHAMPIONSHIPS?
A: The best I played was the last five holes the final two days of Champions Tour School. It helps my confidence knowing I can do it under pressure and perform. That’s what all the pros strive for: those who can perform under the most pressure. I’ve been around so many good pros in my life. Mike Burke (who won the National CPC) told me when you get a lead, nothing good goes through your mind. The only one to have a lead and expand on it was Tiger Woods. But that’s not the norm. If something happens and I choke, I’m not the only one who ever did it. The only way to go with a lead is down. I don’t like to use the word “choke” but if someone tells me I “choked” every week of my life, it means I was in position to win. That’s how I have to look at it. You have to embrace it. The best players in the world, a Greg Norman who lost The Masters , has wanted to crawl into a hole. Sometimes I ask why I do this to myself, to put myself in this kind of position. But like I said, hopefully I can embrace it and that’s the fun part.
Q: WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE AND WIN AT THIS HIGH LEVEL?
A: You can get a little awestruck at these qualifiers just seeing the names of people you have followed your whole life. You see guys who have won majors, been at The Masters and now you’re thrown in with them. Now, I’ve played in enough of them. I played a practice round in San Antonio with Chip Beck, and he was in the Ryder Cup three times. I can’t help but say “Wow!” Knowing where I came from and going against them in the last two years, I know I can compete.
Q: HOW IS IT TO REPRESENT NEW JERSEY OUT THERE?
A: You get a little razzing, guys asking me “How you doing?” But I knew a lot of people back home were pulling for me to do well. I left the phone in the car and I had over 50 tweets and emails. It was neat. It means a lot to me. It’s more about me being a club pro who has done well than about being where I’m from. The Brooklake membership has been great. They’ve been behind me the whole way. A bunch of them were more excited than I was. I’ve developed some great relationships there over the years and them being so proud of me was nice to see.
Q: SOME FINAL THOUGHTS?
A: I believed in myself and listened to enough people who told me to just let my talent come out and see what happens. I’ve been competing with guys like Tom Pernice and Kenny Perry and they do pretty good out there. So I think I can do this. It will definitely be a change. I’ll be doing a lot of traveling. Now, it’s my job. I’ve got to learn how to get the best out of myself, take care of my body and get my practice time in. I’m really looking forward to it.
