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Esposito, Jr., wins Senior PGA Professional Championship

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (October 1, 2017) -- Already owning a comfortable cushion for the victory, Frank Esposito, Jr., chipped in for an eagle-three on the final hole at Desert Mountain Club, winning the 29th Senior PGA Professional Championship by five strokes in Scottsdale, Ariz. Esposito, a teaching professional at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, N.J., finished at 12-under par 276 to claim the 72-hole championship for the second time in four years.

Related: Final Leaderboard | Photos

Esposito began Sunday's final round with a one-stroke lead, as he opened with rounds of 68-71-69. The 54-year old began steadily, posting par on each of his first 10 holes before carding back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 12. He added another birdie and bogey on Nos. 15-16, before chipping in for eagle on the closing hole. Esposito took advantage of the par-fives for the week, playing them in 8-under-par.

Though Esposito never relinquished his lead during the final round, he didn't know how he stood until the 18th fairway. “I found out I was up by four,” Esposito told PGA.com. “From there, I hit 6-iron from 211 yards as close to the front edge of the green as I could. That chip in for eagle was just a bonus. I was just trying to hit it up close.”

With the victory, Esposito walked away with the $21,500 winner's share, plus a spot in the 2018 Senior PGA Championship, which takes place in May at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Mich. Additional Met Area professionals also logged top finishes to earn their way to the event: Mark Brown of Tam O'Shanter, Darrell Kestner of Deepdale, and Mark Mielke.

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