Ben Griffin Puts The Tour On Notice (Again)

As I sat in my living room and watched the first of many flakes of snow kick off a rabid Michigan winter, it was nice to live vicariously through those competing at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico. In a day filled top to bottom with football, the action at El Cardonal in Los Cabos was perfect for a bit of second screen watching.

Most golf tournaments are described as a marathon, not a sprint. You want to pace yourself, take it one shot at a time and not run out of gas. Not this week, though. This was an all-out sprint. As Andy Jankowiak said so eloquently during the Daytona 500 last year, golfers like Ben Griffin had to “put the pedal to the floor and not lift it until they see God or a checkered flag.”

This period of the year is where the middle-of-the-pack PGA Tour player is looking to cement his status for 2026. Golfers like Sami Valimaki took advantage of this week and vaulted themselves safely inside the all-important top 100 to secure their card for next year. 

Then you have guys at the other end of the spectrum, like Ben Griffin, who walked away this week with his third win of the season (and of his career). He now joins Scottie Scheffler (six) and Rory McIlroy (three) as the only golfers to win three or more times on Tour this year.

Being named in a group with those two guys can only mean you’re doing good stuff. 

Griffin has been playing some capital “G” Golf this year, bursting onto the scene and reaching No. 12 in the Official World Golf Ranking (and likely higher after this week’s W). By now everyone knows his story: going from a desk job slinging 30-year mortgages to battling Scottie down the stretch at Jack’s place and teeing it up in the Ryder Cup. 

A year like this makes you wonder about long-term sustainability. Is this just a hot streak? Or is this guy here to stay?

I was admittedly surprised when I looked at the field list and saw both he and J.J. Spaun’s name. After the year they both had, I figured this week would just be an excuse for them to head south and take a nice “vacation” where they also have the chance of coming home a couple hundred G’s richer. 

I don’t remember the odds at the beginning of the week but these two had to have been at the top of that list of favorites, and it is hard to live up to that (unless your last name is Scheffler). Griffin came into the final round two shots behind 54-hole leader Garrick Higgo. Nobody would’ve batted an eye if he cruised into the clubhouse safely inside the top 10 and headed straight to the beach and waited for the direct deposit to hit. 

Instead, Ben put his pedal to the floor and fired a final round 63. On a day where birdies were being made left and right, Griffin put his head down and went to work.

He lingered near the lead early and then began to separate on holes eight through12 where he rattled off five straight birdies to lift himself out of the pack. A clutch mid/long range putt on 16 got him to 28-under and a stress-free birdie on 18 helped him secure a two-shot victory. 

The closing round didn’t just bring him another trophy—it validated his entire season. Winning on Tour is hard enough. Winning an event you should win? That’s a different story.

There was a target on his back this week and he handled it like a seasoned champion.

After a week like this, I am buying all of the Ben Griffin stock I can for 2026. Do you think he is here to stay? Let us know in the comments.

Top Photo Caption: Ben Griffin has enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2025. (GETTY IMAGES/Alex Slitz)