WiretoWire: Ben Griffin grabs second win

With his aviator sunglasses, booming drives and confident stride, Charles Schwab Challenge winner Ben Griffin looks like a player who never doubted his ability to reach golf’s highest level. He’s quickly ascending into an elite tier, following a win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Andrew Novak with his first PGA TOUR individual title Sunday at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Griffin closed in 1-over 71 at venerable Colonial Country Club for a 12-under 268 total, one stroke clear of Germany’s Matti Schmid, who chipped in for birdie from just left of the 18th green to force Griffin to drain a 4-foot par putt to avoid a playoff. After a shaky Sunday where he followed an eagle-birdie start by playing his next 15 holes in 4 over, Griffin answered the bell on the 72nd hole, gripping way down on his third shot from the greenside rough with his feet in the bunker, to play a sublime pitch shot and then converting the winning par. “It was like whack-a-mole hitting that third shot,” Griffin quipped afterward. “Gripped down to about the hosel on the wedge. … So many people to thank; so many people in my corner. I’m very blessed.”

His appearance might not suggest it, but Griffin navigated plenty of hurdles to reach this point. After a standout college career at the University of North Carolina, Griffin struggled to find his footing on mini-tours before stepping away from professional golf for a short time to work as a mortgage loan officer. He wasn’t sure if he had the long-term motivation to put in the requisite work to develop and sustain a world-class golf game. But his time working with interest rates served a hidden purpose: He realized that golf had burned him out and that he needed to rediscover his competitive edge. Griffin, 29, did just that, earning his PGA TOUR card through the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour and progressing into a consistent TOUR contender – and now a bona fide winner. “The interest rate in following his action is going up,” CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz surmised as he signed off, rubber-stamping Griffin’s progression from the corporate world to the winner’s circle..

TOUR returns to 'Jack's Place'

The PGA TOUR heads to “Jack’s Place” for the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, contested at Muirfield Village Golf Club in central Ohio. The Memorial debuted at Muirfield Village in 1976 and is one of the PGA TOUR’s longest-running events at the same venue.

Recent PGA Championship winner Scottie Scheffler will aim to defend his title as 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus plays tournament host at the season's penultimate Signature Event. Other former tournament winners in the field include Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Hideki Matsuyama.

Video of the week

Led by world amateur No. 1 Luke Clanton, who is headed to the PGA TOUR in June, the Florida State Seminoles are hungry for redemption. In 2024, the Seminoles fell agonizingly short of winning the NCAA Championship and have used that memory to fuel them. Join Clanton and his teammates on the driving range to experience their competitiveness, brotherhood and lifestyle on campus at FSU as they gear up for the NCAAs. "Official Visit: Florida State Seminoles" is available now on the PGA TOUR YouTube channel and PGA TOUR University social channels, as well as PGA TOUR FAST channels, including PlutoTV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi and XUMO.

Mic check

"It's obviously exciting to get in those signature events. It's (Muirfield Village Golf Club) a place I've played at a bunch and had a couple of good finishes, so I'm excited to get up there and play." – Bud Cauley on qualifying for the Memorial via the Aon Swing 5.

By the numbers

2 — Ángel Cabrera won his second senior major in a week, shooting a 3-under 69 on Sunday and rallying for a one-stroke victory in the Senior PGA Championship. Cabrera, the 2007 U.S. Open and 2009 Masters champion, won the rain-delayed Regions Tradition on Monday in Alabama, which was the Argentine's first senior major. Six days later at Congressional, he captured his second straight title.

3 — Pontus Nyholm earned his first Korn Ferry Tour title Sunday at the Visit Knoxville Open. The Swede made an eagle 3 on the first playoff hole at the par-5 18th to defeat Johnny Keefer, who won earlier this season at the Veritex Bank Championship.

36 — Davis Lamb won the Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship over the weekend for his first PGA TOUR Americas title. The event was shortened to 36 holes due to heavy rain that hit the course and the surrounding areas in Bogota.

Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10

The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.