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Newsweek
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
PGA Tour Pro Goes from Mortgage Broker to Champion at Colonial
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Professional golf is quite fickle. You never really know when things are going to click. For Ben Griffin, that has clearly been the year 2025. Griffin fired off a 1-over 71 to hold off Matti Schmid by one stroke to claim victory at the Charles Schwab Challenge. It was a very difficult day, not only for Griffin, but for the entire field as Colonial provided a stiff test. After sinking a four-foot par putt on 18 to win, CBS Sports' Amanda Balionis asked Griffin how he handled his nerves over his final putt. Mortgage broker and PGA Tour winner. Ben Griffin does it all. 😂 — Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) May 25, 2025 "First of all, it was like whack-a-mole hitting that third shot," Griffin said with a smile. "I gripped down to the hosel on the wedge. In my head, I was thinking 'Matti might make that [birdie putt].' Fortunately I had that four-footer and I felt pretty good over it." "It was just a left-edge and trust it and let it slide in there. Awesome to get my second win. So many people to thank, so many people in my corner. I am very blessed." As Griffin and his playing partner Matti Schmid approached the 18th tee box, the former held a two-shot lead. But Schmid played the hole perfectly, birdinging the par-4 18th to apply some pressure. But Griffin did not let that bother him as he calmly sank the par putt for the win. FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MAY 25: Ben Griffin of the United States celebrates after winning the Charles Schwab Challenge 2025 at Colonial Country Club on May 25, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sam... FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MAY 25: Ben Griffin of the United States celebrates after winning the Charles Schwab Challenge 2025 at Colonial Country Club on May 25, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by) MoreAs he mentioned, this is his second win of the year, but first by himself. He and Andrew Novak won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the only team event on the PGA Tour schedule. Things have not always come easy for Griffin. He spent years on lesser tours and has openly talked about accruing a ton of credit card debt. It appeared as though his dream of becoming a professional golfer was over. In 2021, Griffin put the clubs away and took a job as a mortgage loan officer. That was going to be his future. But a friend prompted him to enter a Qualifier on his friend's dime. Even though he did not make the cut, it sparked his love for the game again. His grandfather's passing, along with wise words prior, led to his decision to try and make it as a professional once again. Here we are four years later, and Griffin just won $1.7 million. Safe to say, that credit card debt is a thing of the past. More Golf: Rory McIlroy 'Put Fuel to the Fire' amid PGA Championship Controversy
France 24
25-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Griffin grabs second PGA title of season with win at Colonial
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. 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.
Newsweek
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Colonial Leader Having Breakthrough, Warns PGA Tour 'More to Come'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Ben Griffin, the 29-year-old from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, has had a breakthrough season on the PGA Tour. In addition to winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Andrew Novak, Griffin has five top-10 finishes this year, which includes last week's PGA Championship, where he tied for eighth. His strong play has continued at this week's Charles Schwab Challenge, where Griffin found himself atop the leaderboard when he walked off the golf course. He shot a marvelous 7-under 63 on Friday and is 11-under at the midway point. Griffin's only bogey on Friday came on the par-4 5th, which is historically the toughest hole at Colonial. His 11-under total matches his career best in an individual stroke play event on the PGA Tour through 36 holes, per the tour's communications team. The other instance came at the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Griffin tied for third that week. "Now that I've got that first win, I feel like it's really freeing me up… Not that I wasn't trying to win in the past, but just the monkey off the back where I've got a nothing to lose mentality. Like we're trying to attack pins and get up there with the boys at the top of the leaderboard," Griffin said after his second round on Friday. Ben Griffin plays his shot from the 18th tee during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. Ben Griffin plays his shot from the 18th tee during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by/Photo by"It's definitely been a breakthrough year, but I think there's more to come." Remarkably, Griffin has emerged as a dark-horse candidate for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. He is currently 18th in the U.S. standings and continues to trend in the right direction. More strong results will force captain Keegan Bradley to consider him. After all, his strokes gained numbers in 2025 show that he has no glaring weaknesses in his game. He does everything well, as evidenced by his strong showing so far this week in Ft. Worth. Through 36 holes at Colonial, Griffin is 19th in strokes gained off the tee, fifth in strokes gained approaching the green, seventh in strokes gained around the green, and ninth in putting. All of that adds up to him leading the field on both the leaderboard and on the stat sheet. "I feel like my game is really good right now. I feel very comfortable on this golf course, and I knew going into this round — sometimes you have those Friday rounds where you are, like, 'All right, I want to get to the weekend and give myself a chance,'" Griffin added on Friday. "I felt like for me this morning I woke up and was, like, 'I'm going to get it rolling because I felt like I played really well yesterday.' Yesterday, too, I just didn't quite make as many birdies. Otherwise, I think I was probably the lowest score in the afternoon wave or close to it. There might have been one lower. Yeah, just playing really well. Trying to stay in my zone and keep plugging along." All Griffin does is plug along. Last year, he played in 35 PGA Tour events and finished the season ranked 57th in the FedEx Cup Fall. That allowed him to make starts at The Sentry and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the first two Signature Events of the season, which helped jump start his year. He has been trending nicely ever since. "I've done a lot of the right things this season to kind of get myself from where I was over the last couple of years from being a really good PGA Tour player but finishing in the 50s, not as well known of a name," Griffin said. "I feel like this year I'm trying to do everything I can to help myself be more of an elite player out here and get in contention more." He has found himself on the front page of the leaderboard quite often, which explains why he is currently 21st in the FedEx Cup rankings. But a win this week would shoot him up even higher. It would also give him a healthy dose of confidence and indicate to the rest of the golf world that yes, there is more to come. More Golf: Collin Morikawa's Axed Caddie Lands on Ryder Cup Hopeful's Bag at Colonial
Straits Times
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Rory McIlroy 'in a good place' ahead of PGA, nods to 'relentless' fans
May 11, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Rory McIlroy plays his shot out of a bunker on the first hole during the final round of the Truist Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images REUTERS May 11, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Rory McIlroy plays his shot from the 13th tee during the final round of the Truist Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images REUTERS FLOURTOWN, Pa. - With all due respect to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA Tour's lone team event, the Truist Championship was Rory McIlroy's first real test of golf since winning the Masters. The five-time major winner tied for seventh at 10 under par at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, six shots off Sepp Straka's winning score. McIlroy said entering the week that he was "excited to get back to being a golfer" and figure out where his game is at entering the second major of the year, the PGA Championship. Consider that task complete. "I think I'm in a good place," the Northern Irishman said Sunday. "I didn't feel like I played all that well this week, I still finished seventh. Even my -- what I feel is my bad golf, I'm still there or thereabouts. "A couple little improvements and little tweaks, especially going to a place I love like Quail Hollow, and I feel like I'm in a really good spot." McIlroy shot in red figures all week, capped by Sunday's 2-under 68 with 16 pars and two birdies. He did not make a bogey or worse over his final 28 holes of the tournament, but thought he missed several chances to climb the leaderboard. "Overall I felt like I got a little better as the week went on, played good," McIlroy said. "As you said, bogey-free. I wish I'd made a few more birdies. I've got a better gauge of where my game is standing here right now than I did at the start of the week. It was a good week for that. "I wish I had gotten myself into contention a little bit more, but it was a good week, especially looking ahead to next week." McIlroy birdied the first hole Sunday but had to scramble for pars the rest of the front nine, mainly due to wayward drives. He hit only five fairways in regulation out of 14, following a surprising 3-for-14 performance on Saturday. McIlroy theorized that wide-open fairways at the club's Wissahickon Course may have actually thrown him off. "I sort of struggled with this in Houston as well, whenever we get these big, wide-open golf courses where there's not a ton of definition," he said. "I think I would have hit more fairways if it had been tree lined. I felt like I drove it a little better on the back nine today, which was good." He won't have to worry about course fit at the PGA Championship. Quail Hollow Club usually hosts the Truist Championship (formerly called the Wells Fargo Championship). McIlroy has won at Quail Hollow four times, including last year. His fans were out in full force weeks after his historic Masters win. McIlroy was the most popular player on the property all week, and children screamed for his autograph as he concluded his media duties. "They're very enthusiastic," McIlroy said of the Philadelphia fans. "They're loud. They're relentless in terms of like ... I must have heard my name a million times this week." --Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Golf-Horschel to have hip surgery, dealing blow to his Ryder Cup hopes
Apr 19, 2025; Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA; Billy Horschel tees off on three during the third round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images (Reuters) -Billy Horschel announced on Tuesday that he is set to undergo hip surgery next week, dealing a blow to his hopes of playing for the United States in this year's Ryder Cup. World number 24 Horschel, who two weeks ago withdrew from the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event due to injury, made the decision to have the surgery in Colorado. "It's an unfortunate situation with so many great events left on the calendar, but this is a preventative measure," Horschel, 38, said in a video posted on X. "I'm already looking forward to getting the rehab stated, getting back to practising and hopefully returning to the golf course in late summer, early fall." Horschel, who played on the winning Presidents Cup team in 2022, has two top-10s in 12 events this year and is 16th on the U.S. Ryder Cup points standings. The top six players from the points list following the BMW Championship on August 17 make the team while Keegan Bradley will round out his 12-player squad with six captain's picks. The Ryder Cup is scheduled for Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black in New York. (Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
