Ben Griffin shows character to revive PGA TOUR dream

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – There is a backdrop of turquoise water down here that is breathless, especially when the pulsating sun pours forth as it did for lengthy periods during Saturday’s third round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

But that natural wonder pushed aside, the backdrop to this week’s PGA TOUR tournament that is most appealing is one that speaks to the inexplicable wonder of this marvelous game. Against an array of veteran TOUR professionals who’ve probably combined for more than 1,500 tournament starts and don’t appear inclined to ever quit playing – Seamus Power, Aaron Baddeley, and Brian Gay – it is the name Ben Griffin that commands your attention.

At 24, he walked away from his PGA TOUR dream in 2021 with only two tournaments on his resume. Not because he didn’t have the game, but because he had buckets of character.

“It is tough financially,” said Griffin. “I didn’t want to rely on my parents anymore for everything.”

That is the storyline that will be front and center in Sunday’s final round, for Griffin – who was convinced by generous backers to give up a desk job as a loan officer and get back into golf – birdied the 18th hole at Port Royal GC Saturday, shot 5-under 66 in blustery conditions, and pulled into a share of the lead with Power (65).

They are at 18-under for the tournament.

That 24-year-old PGA TOUR rookie Kevin Yu is also chasing his first win, tied for third with Baddeley, 41, while 50-year-old Gay is in fifth, just two off the lead, adds to the wild mixture that golf seamlessly produces time and time again.

But it’s Griffin’s story that resonates up and down the leaderboard.

“Look, it’s a tough game,” said Power, an Irishman who knows a thing or two about being resilient. He turned pro in 2011 and didn’t make it onto the PGA TOUR until six years later.

“It’s an individual sport and individual sports have their ups and downs. It’s not for everyone.”

What is for everyone is the compelling story of an unheralded long shot and that is what Griffin is saturated in. Backed financially by men who believed in him – Doug Sieg, Mike Swann, Jesse Ahearn – Griffin returned to golf in 2021, got through the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament, played consistently well, and earned a PGA TOUR card for 2022-23.

If there is a sense of what to expect in Sunday’s final round, it’s because Griffin has already lived a little bit of this. Back in August, he got through a Monday qualifier for the Wyndham Championship, made the cut, and tossed down a pair of 64s on the weekend to finish joint fourth.

OK, so his dream story couldn’t trump the one that was authored by Tom Kim that day (the phenom from South Korea closed with 61 to win by five), but Griffin will draw from what did take place at Wyndham.

“Having that experience on the PGA TOUR, playing in a championship – not necessarily having a chance to win, but fighting to try and get as high a finish as I could . . . that experience is going to help me a ton,” said Griffin.

Of course, he is the first to concede that his experience cannot match the sort of stuff up against which he’s going. Gay owns five PGA TOUR wins, including here in 2021, and Baddeley is a four-time winner who seems to always play his best when his status is on the line.

Then there is Power, the personable Irishman who played at East Tennessee State. He roared out with five birdies, finished strongly (birdies at Nos. 16 and 17), and seems to act gleefully when the wind crackles the flags, as it did Saturday.

Part of that comes from the hard road he has traveled, minitour after minitour. Maybe it’s not quite been like Griffin’s tale, but it’s not dissimilar.

“I’ve always loved the game. I love competing,” said Power, whose story is one of admiration. From nowhere, he has roared into No. 48 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

“You have some low points, absolutely. (But) it’s days like today where things go your way and that makes up for those (rough) days.”

So should you favor those stories of perseverance and second chances and of longshots and dogged commitments, then the final round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship is likely to serve something favorable your way.

No matter how it plays out, Griffin is thrilled to be part of it. And he’s enormously in awe of his surroundings – and we’re not talking that turquoise water, either.

“You don’t ever know what the world is going to bring you,” said Griffin. “You just need to be thankful for all the people who are there to help you.”