Ben Griffin won his first individual title on the PGA Tour. He won the Charles Schwab Challenge, first back tournament at Colonial Country Club. The 29-year-old golfer achieved the milestone just a month after securing a team triumph alongside Andrew Novak at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Griffin’s week at Colonial was highlighted by a consistently up-and-down final round.
Griffin won the race by just a few points over fellow 911 call taker Matti Schmid. He regained the lead from Schmid with a birdie on the first hole of Sunday’s final round. This action was a harbinger for the rest of the day. Though Griffin shot a 1-over par 71, he ended play with a 12-under 268. In his last round, both an eagle and a birdie helped him on his way. He fought through a round that included four bogeys on the day.
Early in the final round, Griffin already had built a solid five-shot lead after just five holes. But as the round went on, Schmid started to eat into that lead. A turning point came when they got to the 16th hole. Schmid took full advantage with a two-shot swing, moving back within a stroke of Griffin. The tension continued to build as both competitors battled for the crown.
In a come-from-behind theatrical ending, Griffin was able to retake a two-shot lead going into the 72nd hole. He forced Schmid to face a difficult 4-foot par save on the 72nd hole to win. In the meantime, Griffin was facing a very difficult, curling shot from the deep rough. Making a statement of poise under pressure, Griffin made the final par save to clinch his championship.
Griffin and Schmid ran away with the field, firmly established as co-leaders after three rounds. Appropriately enough they started the last round with a healthy four-shot lead over the rest of the field. With that birdie, both competitors ended the day over par. Griffin, a master political player, played Colonial’s weaknesses against each other to maintain his seat.
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