Former Alabama golfer Frankie Capan III is playing in the final round of a PGA Tour event for the first time on Sunday. And while he’s not going to win the 3M Open, his caddie’s still going to be mighty proud of him.

That’s because his caddie is his mother, Charlynn Capan.

“Once we start, it’s all caddie,” Frankie Capan said. “Then once we’re done, it kind of goes back to Mom a little bit more.”

But Charlynn Capan said that’s not quite the case.

“The mom instincts come out because he’s the most well-hydrated and -fed player out there,” she said. “So that mom instincts there are strong.”

Frankie Capan is in his first season on the Korn Ferry Tour. He got to play in the PGA Tour event at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, on a sponsor exemption. His hometown of Stillwater, Minnesota, is less than 15 miles from the course.

Capan took advantage of his chance by shooting a pair of 68s to make the cut in a PGA Tour event for the first time. But a 2-over 73 in the third round set him back.

Capan had played in two previous PGA Tour events – the Puerto Rico Open in 2016 as an amateur and the U.S. Open in June. He missed the cut in both events.

Capan has used his mother as his caddie since the qualifying process for this season’s Korn Ferry Tour.

“Originally she was supposed to be just a fill-in caddie,” Capan said. “And the more success we had, the more we realized that she should just keep staying on the bag. Obviously when we went through Q-School and only lost to nine people, it was pretty evident that she should stay on the bag for a little longer.”

Capan is 34th in the Korn Ferry point standings this season. Players who finish in the top 30 earn full status on the PGA Tour for next season.

Capan’s best finish in 15 Korn Ferry Tour tournaments this season came at the Ledges in Huntsville, where he finished tied for third in the Home Town Lenders Championship. Earlier this month, Capan had a fourth-place showing at the Memorial Health Championship at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Illinois.

“I know him so well,” Charlynn Capan said. “I know when to say something, when not. It’s been so fun. I think we have a few events left, and then I’m going to retire.”

Frankie Capan played for two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Florida Gulf Coast to complete his college career.

The former Alabama golfer in the spotlight on Sunday at the 3M Open is Lee Hodges. An Ardmore High School alumnus, Hodges will tee off on Sunday afternoon in pursuit of his first PGA Tour victory with a five-stroke lead after shooting a tournament-record 20-under 193 in the first three rounds.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.