Who Is Ben Griffin? The American Golfer Who Once Gave Up on His PGA Tour Dream

Every now and then, someone incredible pops up in the sporting world who, with their own hard work and perseverance, goes on to make good. And currently, in golf, that new face has come in the form of American golfer Ben Griffin. He pulled off an amazing performance in the Sanderson Farms Championship making a lot of people fix their eyes onto him as he made easy work of the rounds which proved to be a pickle for many.

It is not a surprise that many who are watching him play are scratching their heads, unable to place himself in the golfing world. But nevertheless, his story is one that deserves great respect and admiration.

Meet Ben Griffin, the 27-year-old American golfer

The American professional was born to Cowan and Erika Griffin on May 6, 1996. Although he majored in the subject of Economics, Griffin found his calling in the game of golf. He is a big fan of Jordan Spieth and hopes to progress like the 3X major champ did when he was young.

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His most notable achievement came at the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship. The golfer finished tied third after a total of 17-under par. If not for a bad final round, who knows he could have won the event!

Griffin finished at the 63rd position in the 2023 FedEx Cup rankings. He played in St Jude Chamionship. In his 31 appearances on the PGA Tour so far, the golfer has managed to make the cut a total of 20 times with 9 top 25 finishes.

Even so, his road to professional golf was not an easy one at all.

Griffin and his PGA Tour dream, one which he almost gave up

At the age of 24, the professional felt it was time to give up on the sport and find a job after being unable to qualify for the PGA Tour or its minor league circuit. Thus in the year 2021, Griffin decided to leave pro golf behind and went ahead to become a loan officer at the CIMG Residential Mortgage in Chapel Hill, N.C.

During his tenure as an officer in the company, he met Doug Sieg, who was the managing partner of an investment firm called Lord Abbett. During the pandemic era, the ex-pro was paired up with Sieg and his daughter at Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island, GA. During the nine-hole game, the partner was so impressed with the performance put up by the golfer that he offered to back him up financially for his PGA Tour dream, which he politely refused.

Fast forward a few months, and a realization hit Griffin as he went and told Sieg how he couldn’t see himself doing anything else in the world but play on the Tour. Following his conversation with the Lord Abbett managing partner, he was asked to drive up to New Jersey after which he was taken to Baltusrol where he went 3-over after three holes and birdied nine of the next 11. This was the final push that Sieg needed to help Griffin.

He went ahead to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour event, eventually leading to Q-school and winning a Tour Card by earning enough points by June to ensure his graduation to the same.

Ben Griffin and his amateur career

Griffin has played in a total of 36 tournaments as a Tar Heel. He finished a total of 12 times in the top-10 position including two victories. The two-time member of the ACC Honor Roll tied for second in the ACC Championships in the 2016-17 season. Moreover, he led the team with an average stroke score of 72.29 along with being Carolina’s best finisher in five of the last six tournaments in the season.

He competed in the U.S. Amateur in the years 2015 and 2016. The young golfer was able to advance to the match play after finishing tied for T11 in stroke play in the latter event in which he shot 66 in the opening round. He tied for first place at the US Amateur qualifier in 2016 after managing to shoot 65 in the final round.

Prior to this, the young athlete was named a part of the 2012 Gary Gilchrist Junior All-Star Team and the 2011 All-Carolinas Team. Moreover, Griffin was a quarterfinalist at the North and South Amateur event in 2015, along with being a part of the 2013 and 2014 AJGA Rolex first-team All-America. And, he was able to emerge victorious in the 2013 AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions all the while advancing to match play at the US Junior Amateur held in 2013.

One can hope that Ben Griffin continues forward on his professional journey as he aims to rise through the ranks in the golfing world.

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