Griffin grabs second PGA title
HOUSTON: Ben Griffin secured his second PGA Tour victory on Sunday at the Charles Schwab Challenge, holding off Germany's Matthias Schmid by a single stroke at the historic Colonial Country Club. Griffin, who finished at 12-under par after his final round one-over 72, maintained his composure during a challenging final round that tested players with gusty winds.
The victory comes just weeks after his breakthrough win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he partnered with Andrew Novak to win the team event.
The 29-year-old North Carolina native is enjoying an impressive career revival. After turning professional in 2018, Griffin stepped away from golf in 2021 to work as a mortgage loan officer due to financial pressures and burnout. But his return to professional golf through Q-school has now yielded success, with his two PGA Tour victories in 2025 and other top-10 finishes moving him to fifth in the FedEx Cup rankings. Griffin got off to a flying start with an eagle on the par-five first where he drained a 15-footer and he followed it with a birdie on the par-four second to build up a cushion.
Ben Griffin plays his shot from the 12th tee. — Reuters
He needed it with back-to-back bogeys on six and seven and he had two more bogeys on the back nine. Schmid, who finished at 11-under after his two-over 72, made a dramatic chip-in on the 18th hole from an awkward position near water to put the pressure on Griffin. But the American kept his composure to roll home a four-foot putt that secured victory.
"So many people to thank, so many people in my corner, I'm very blessed," Griffin said after securing the victory. The German's runner-up finish earned him a spot in next week's Memorial tournament. "It wasn't a very good start, even though I don't think I deserved to be three-over after five or six holes," Schmid said of his final round, where he made double bogey on the par-four fifth "I hit a lot of quality shots actually." American Bud Cauley finished third at nine-under 271, while world-class players Tommy Fleetwood and Scottie Scheffler tied for fourth at 272. The tournament at Colonial is one of the PGA Tour's oldest and most prestigious events, having begun in 1946 and having been played continuously, making it the longest-running non-major PGA event still held at its original site. World number one Scheffler never managed to get his normally trusty putting into full flow. "I had a really good weekend. I did some good stuff. Feel like I could have scored a little better today. Overall it was a really challenging day," Scheffler said. "I was surprised at how firm they were still able to get these greens. It was impressive," said the Texan who had been aiming for a third straight win after his victory in last week's PGA Championship. — AFP
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