The lesson that Ben Griffin has learnt this summer

Ben Griffin – Wyndham Championship – Press Conference

I know. They probably should be. Yeah, I know. I know. I’ll send send him some business. All right. Good afternoon, everyone. We’d like to welcome Ben Griffin to the interview room at the 2025 Windham Championship. Ben, you’re making your fourth consecutive start here, highlighted by two top 10 finishes. Can you just share some opening comments on what it’s like to be back at Sedgefield? Yeah, this tournament means a lot to me just growing up um in Chapel Hill just up the road. Um you know, had some good finishes here. Um yeah, my first year I played, Mark Brazzle, tournament director, gave me uh an exemption and I finished fourth and it was a really cool moment. I was on the Cornferry tour was just getting my PJ tour card um for the upcoming fall and it was a really good experience to kind of get my kind of jump start my PJ tour career. Um but yeah, this is one of my favorite events of the year. Just um a lot of family and friends close by and so um really excited to come in this week with a lot more freedom than the last kind of couple years being on the bubble of the playoffs. Uh pretty much locked up a lot of things um coming in this week. So playing stress-free golf, just trying to play my best and uh and hopefully try to win this one because it’s definitely way up there on my list. Two wins already this season, sitting at number seven in the FedEx Cup standings. What has the success so far this season done for your confidence and what’s the game plan going into the week? Yeah, uh it certainly hasn’t hurt the confidence. Um it’s been pretty pretty amazing. Um yeah, it’s been an awesome year. Um and in like the last couple years I was playing really good golf, but I hadn’t quite broken through the way I have this year and um just continue to kind of work hard. U made some changes um both physically with my body and then um swing just in a really good spot. And so a lot of that hard work’s kind of paid off this year. um continue to have built more and more confidence as I’ve gotten the experience against the best players in the world. Um and yeah, it’s been awesome to play in uh you know, added a major this year, US Open that I hadn’t played in before and um finished 10th there. So, just trying to continue to learn um continue to build on my experiences and then have a ton of fun along the way. You mentioned hometown event for you UNCC um alum, you know, expecting a lot of friends and family to come out. Does that give you some sort of an advantage throughout the week having them here supporting you? Um, yeah, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have that support. Um, it’s always nice to get some cheers from the sidelines. Um, but no, I think more more than anything, it’s just I’m very familiar with the golf course, familiar with the area, everything like that. And so, uh, I grew up, you know, playing the AJ, um, Junior Invitational. I was at this course. Um, I played in that, you know, three years. Um, in college, we even, I think, came over here a couple times. And then, yeah, in professional golf, I’ve played it a few times. I’ve also, uh, gotten to know a few of the members. Um, and so I I remember when I was living at Chapel Hill in 20 end of 2020, beginning of 2021, I remember coming over here and playing some um with the members and some of their money games and everything. So, I’ve gotten uh gotten very familiar with this golf course. I I know it better than most. I think Alex Smallley probably knows it a little better than me since he’s a he’s a member here and lives here, but um yeah, very comfortable out here on this golf course. Awesome. All right, we’ll open it up to questions. You just raise your hand. We’ll get you a mic. Start over here with Kevin Price. Hey Ben, I know um two years ago you were kind of on the bubble here, missed the cut and had to sweat it out and I think Justin Thomas could have knocked you out of the playoffs. I guess what do you remember about that week and that Sunday and what the kind of anxiety or nerves might be like in that position? Yeah, it’s just a lot of I remember there being a lot of uncertainty. I remember having three different flights booked um on Sunday night, not sureing not not really sure where I was going to go um if my season was done, if I was flying home, if I was going on like a vacation, if I was going to Memphis and yeah, it really I mean it it could have been closer what it was kind of coming down to. I remember missing the cut and the last thing you want to do as a golfer is kind of not be in control of kind of your destiny. Um, and so, um, yeah, I remember sitting on the couch with, um, my fiance, um, while she was with girlfriend at the time, so my ex-girlfriend. Um, um, but no, yeah, I remember sitting there with her and, uh, my dad, my mom, and we were just like I I think my dad had way too much anxiety. He probably like left the room. Um, but I remember watching that chip because we kind of knew if he chipped it in Justin, um, then he was going to Memphis and I wasn’t. And so, uh, yeah, he hit the flag stick and it barely missed and it was just nuts. Um, kind of just the maybe relief, but just like heart rate was super high just watching it. Um, and so yeah, flew out to Memphis that night or either that night or the next morning and u was off to the playoffs, but yeah, I don’t have to worry about that this week. I’ve got my flight booked to Memphis and I’ll be just fine. And you alluded to that not having to worry, but for those guys on the bubble this week or is that something like when you were on the bubble those couple years, does it enter your mind down the stretch on Friday? You can’t get it out of your mind. If you if you have, then you’re a god. I mean, like, props to you for your mental edge. But yeah, everyone kind of has those kind of thoughts in the back of their head. Um, it’s easy to kind of get rid of them if you’re playing really good golf, at least kind of those first couple rounds, and you’re sitting in a position where you don’t really have to think about it too much and you can focus more on winning the golf tournament. Because that’s the biggest thing for us is when we get our minds off of winning golf tournaments, it kind of it inhibits it. it just takes away from kind of your best golf. You start thinking about other things. And the more you can focus on winning, you’re actually, you know, concentrated on staying aggressive and hitting really good high quality shots. And so, um, yeah, I remember, yeah, like or I guess for the guys this week that on the bubble, it’s you just got to have the most focus ever and just try to lock in and try not to get distracted by the external things. We’ll go right here to Luke. Hey Ben, I know you’ve talked about this a lot, especially since Oakmont, but just going back to your time out of golf. What sticks with you now from that period out of the game that you can still sort of draw upon? Is there anything that you learned then that has sort of contributed to, you know, sort of coming back and then your success this summer? Yeah. Importance of rest. Uh, it comes to mind right now. Just because I’m I’m coming off an off week and after the British long flights, everything like that, I remember feeling pretty like a little bit tired. I just had a pretty long season and so I took Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday completely off of golf. And um you know, back when I was working, I I really wasn’t touching a golf club at all unless it was with a realtor or a member guest or something like that. And so, and when I did play, I was playing really well. It’s not like I lost my natural talents or um you know, my game. Um, so I kind of learned from that the importance of rest and not having to like go to the range and grind for three or four hours a day, which playing on the mini tours and, you know, going up towards the corner tour, you feel like you kind of have to. Uh, you feel like you have to work really hard and change a lot of things and make your game kind of build it for the PJ tour. And in reality, if you’re a really good golfer, things are going to take care of itself. You just got to kind of trust the process and make sure you feel good when you go and tee it up. So, um, yeah, it’s nice to kind of, you know, this July I’ve taken a little bit of rest, um, after a long hard stretch. Um, you know, I played the Open Championship, unfortunately. Didn’t make the weekend there by a shot, but, um, was playing good golf. I just had a couple bad swings and, um, yeah, I’ve taken two weeks, uh, the last three weeks off, so it’s actually really nice to have a little refresher going into playoffs and feel like I can kind of, um, you know, get back in in the mix and and build on each of these weeks. Go right here to Ron. Obviously, you’re in great position with the FedEx Cup and everything else, but how much does the Ryder Cup sort of enter your mind right now? Yeah, I feel like it’s mentioned every single day, so it’s like always on my mind. Um whether I want it to be or not. Um and look, I’ve said it uh tons in in interviews and stuff. if I just do the right things um each week and and this this week in particular if I play really well and just focus on winning um you know the byproduct of that is going to be making that RDER Cup team and same within each week in the playoffs and the more I kind of look at rankings or whatever it’s it’s it’s not going to help me. Um the only thing that can help me is playing extremely good golf against the best players in the world every single week. And if I do that it’s going to take care of itself. And so uh yeah, it’ be an honor to be on that team. Uh it’s something everyone I think you know that’s around that’s American at least um and in the mix of being on Ryder Cup everyone dreamed of it as a kid. Um and so and and even getting on tour and on the cornf tour everyone you know those are the events you want to play in. Um you want to represent your country. It’s a just a tremendous honor and um yeah I want to make sure like my game like I can’t just sit here and and hope to get on that team. I need to continue to play really good golf because even if I even if I was to like not play well and still be on that team, I want to be playing really well when I’m at the Ryder Cup. Um, you know, so I got to continue to do the right things right now and and build these next like month and a this next month and a half stretch leading into Beth Page to where I’m playing really elite golf and I can beat Roy Mroy and I can beat John Rom and Tier Hatton. Like I want to have that mindset when I get there and I don’t want to just sit here on the, you know, sit here on a boat and just relax and cruise into Beth Page, you know, I’ve got to keep the pedal down. Um, without a doubt. And I’m I’m excited for the challenge. I’m excited to to tee it up each and every day and challenge myself and try to make birdies on the hardest holes out here. And um, that’s all I can do. Helen, um, can Ryan’s coming in after you. Can you talk I’m sorry for you guys. Can you talk a little bit about the text that you sent him before Barracuda and whether you’ve demanded anything? Yeah, just 50% of his earnings was all. Um, I I still haven’t received anything. I’ve been looking on Zel and Wells Fargo and Merryill accounts. Nothing’s hit yet. So, yeah. Um, but no, I don’t demand anything. I think anyone would have responded kind of the same way I did to Ryan after because because he sent the text to to both me and my caddy. It was like, “Hey, I’m second alternate. Should I come over there?” And I mean, the it was Tuesday. The answer is no. You’re already at you’re you’re getting to Reno if you aren’t already there. Like, go focus on trying to win that and don’t even like look at the leaderboard of the Open. Don’t don’t pay attention to anything. and just focus on your tournament and what you’re trying to trying to accomplish. Um, and I think any other golfer would have said that. It just so happens that me and Ryan are close and so he texts me. Um, but yeah, I’ll take uh I’ll take the credit, I guess. But uh he’s the one that was hitting all the shots and um and he played really well. I’m so happy for him and his career. He’s been working harder than anyone and um it’s really cool to have another Tar Hill went on tour. Um we’ve had a lot of momentum kind of in the last few years and now we have David Ford out here as well uh on tour. So it’s a really exciting time um to be a Tar Hill. What did you think? Oh, I was watching this whole final round. Uh, I was watching him make eagles um from everywhere and making a bunch of birdies. And I thought Eric was going to miss his putt on the last where Ryan could literally just pick up his ball because the the the Stableford format. He could literally make whatever he wanted to. He make a 15 on the last one and still win the golf tournament because he could only lose three points. So, uh, yeah, it was really fun to watch him uh grind down the stretch. I like the way he stayed aggressive um in some some big moments and was still attacking pins and par fives, which is what what you have to do on tour. And um he obviously made some eagles and uh and did the right things to lift up that trophy. And it’s so cool to to see him have that success and um yeah, a lot of lot of really good players on tour, got their first wins at not only like the Barracuda, but like the Puerto Rico, some of these opposite field events. And so uh it’s just huge for his confidence. You know, I think Colin Marca won his first event there at the Barracuda and and look at where he’s gone with his career and so there’s no doubt in my mind Ryan’s going to kind of continue on that same path and I got to do my best to stay ahead of him. Go to John. Ben, you mentioned uh when you weren’t playing pro golf, you played in a few member guests. I’m assuming you won some of those or uh I actually surprisingly I only played in one. Uh a lot of member guests didn’t want me or courses didn’t want me to be qualified because I was still technically professional. Um we did win our flight and we went to a shootout. Um me and Mike Swan was named member at Highland Springs Country Club and um yeah we went to a shootout and we birdied the first hole of the shootout. It’s alternate shot but other teams were getting strokes in other flights and I think we parred the second hole and lost the shootout but there was like eight eight different teams because there’s eight um eight flights. So everyone’s just going out in their little twos some playing alternate shot on the I think it was like the seventh eighth and ninth holes there and we did not win but it’s probably for the better. I I don’t want to win one of those things and get booted for life, but I guess I’m probably booted for life anyways. Looking back on it now. Yeah, there’s a lot of other things going on at member gas that um don’t need to be discussed. Kevin, I know um Ryan Gerard had mentioned at North Carolina sometimes Roy Williams would come around and you guys would like be on the range with him and I was wondering if you had any kind of Roy Williams stories or interactions with him from that time at UNC. Yeah. Uh even before UNCC, I remember playing Cho Country Club. His house was on the the right of the seventh fairway. Every once in a while, I’d leak one over there and kind of look and say, “Hey, is Roy in there?” Um he’s got like a Kansas J-Hawk um you know embroidered on one of his windows because he was the coach there forever and then um the Tarhill emblem as well. Uh but yeah, he was a huge supporter of the the golf program. He loved the golf program. He’d mentioned us in like press conferences with his uh with his basketball team because I think golf has so many parallels to not only life but other sports too. And so um he uh yeah, he was so gracious um when I was at North Carolina just um you know, talking to us as a as a team, you know, even like even other coaches, Ans Dorance. Um there’s so many um so many incredible coaches out at North Carolina and we uh we’re so grateful to kind of get insights from all the coaches, different coaches, and also spend time with with Roy if he came out to the range. He’s a very good golfer. Um and I think he plays probably a lot of golf now that he’s retired and out of coaching. So um yeah, Roy was great. And this is kind of a I guess thought experiment you could say, but a few years ago you mentioned that there were roughly 16 things you needed to do differently or better to get to number one in the world. And I think you were in the hundreds at the time. I have no idea if you recall thinking and maybe thousands at the time. And um what would be of those approximately 16, how many do you think you’ve accomplished now roughly? Yeah, I kind of want to see that list. I’m curious. Do you have it? No, it was more mysterious. Um, yeah. I mean, I think I’ve done a lot of a lot of the right things kind of since I’ve come back to golf. And and a lot of it’s because I just have an incredible support system and sponsors and and people um, you know, backing me and allows me to kind of free myself up a little bit and and play golf like I did when I was a kid where you’re not thinking about anything except trying to trying to win and beat your competition and and get better. And um, it’s very difficult when you’re at the miniur level and out of college where you’re kind of out on your own and you’re trying to balance all those things. try to have that mindset, but oh wait, we have rent payments. Oh, wait, we’re paying for our own food now. It’s not like a a team trip in college where you have your Chipotle and then you have your hotel room and all that stuff already planned for you. So, um yeah, I’ve done a I think I’ve done a pretty good job of of learning from my experiences and taking notes on what kind of I need to be better at. And I even I kind of change those by even the day out here. Like, you know, for instance, like before this, I wanted to make sure I get on the putting green, working on my putting for a couple hours because I could feel that something was a little off with my stroke. And so, um, just being honest with myself about some of those things. Um, you know, understanding that I’m not perfect and I’m trying to trying to do my best to to be as good of a golfer as possible. And and with that, I have to do the right things on and off the golf course. And um, you know, sometimes I’ve got to be um got to say no to things and actually say no to things quite often, whether it’s weddings, whether it’s um, you know, events that could kind of get in the way of of golf tournaments. It it sucks because I have a lot of friends out there that I want to spend time with from time to time, but also I’ve got this tremendous opportunity on the PJ tour and I’m at the prime of my career and I’ve got to kind of focus on that and if I do the right things now, it’ll set me up for life. Um, hell, it already has kind of in a way. So, um, I’m just very blessed and have a lot have a lot of people in my corner and just trying to trying to do my very best every time I teed up. What’s one thing this year you’ve gotten better at specifically and one thing you still feel like you need to get? Yeah, being really disciplined in the in the weight room this year has been huge for me. Um, also, you know, hiring like a physio and taking care of my body better. Um, the best players in the world are all doing it and it was one of those things that looking back has definitely helped separate me um from maybe some other golfers. And it’s an investment that’s extremely uh that’s definitely paid off. And so, um, just traveling with the trainer and and making sure I’m disciplined in the gym, working out pretty much every single day. Um, maybe one off day every, you know, two weeks or so. So really proud of the way that was more of like almost even like a New Year’s resolution to start and then hiring, you know, Derek mid year when I had some um uh had some quad tenonitis in my left knee and had to fix a couple things. I mean, I’m just proud of the way I’ve I’ve stuck to that and um yeah, I’ve gotten stronger and it’s definitely helped me um hit it farther and stay healthier out here. And then one thing you want to get better at, one of those things you feel like you need to elevate. Yeah, I mean there’s a lot of things I feel like I can get a little bit better at. Um, you know, I hate using the word maintain because I I definitely want to continue to to get better, but um there’s definitely certain parts of my game that I think are really good and I want to at least maintain or get maybe get a touch better and then there’s other parts that um you know I need to tighten up a little bit. Like um it’s always it’s always kind of been for me more the driver that’s been um more of a challenge. This year I’ve driven it extremely well. Um but I can still get better with it. that I can still hit more fairways and if I do that it’s going to save more strokes. Um and that’s kind of the start and um then that allows me to kind of take advantage of my irons a little bit more when I’m in the fairway more and then I’m going to have you know better looks for birdie and all of that it all starts off the tea really. Um and I think a lot of the stats kind of have have pointed into that direction in recent years. Um, but even that, even on outside of the physical, just mentally just having having more and more of an edge. And I think as I’ve gotten more and more experienced this year, I’ve definitely gotten more and more confident. Um, and I definitely have that, but I got to continue to kind of put myself in those positions. So, I’d say like kind of goals moving forward is making sure I’m staying super focused and everything the first couple rounds to get myself back in the mix by Sunday. Anyone else? Yeah, let it rip. Close us out. Being in North Carolina, I wanted to ask this. Um, freshman year of high school, you said you had a wild story on the last hole of the state championship, kind of a turn of events. And I think I talked to you about it like for a written story, but never on video. So, I wanted to ask here. I also know you said you were 411. So, how I guess how far you were hitting at the time and what you remember from that day. Definitely hitting it further now. um 14, 4 foot 11, playing against a senior, Andrew Decker, who was at uh going to NC State. I hadn’t committed to college. I hadn’t really I had achieved some stuff in in junior golf by then and was probably pretty good um at the time and probably one of the favorites to even win it, but I was so young and and you know, it’s my first high school state championships. I’m playing as an individual. But um yeah, I remember getting into a playoff um you know, pretty strong field. Um Grayson Murray was in that field. Carter Jenkins was on the cornfair tour. for um Zack Seabolt, Ryan Gerard. Uh no, he was too young. He was four years younger, but eventually he would have been in that state championship, but um yeah, a lot of incredible players and I I remember going to the playoff. Um we both parted the first time and then the second go round I chipped in and Andrew missed his putt and I was a winner. I remember I I I still have the video and everything. I’ve watched it before just to kind of fire me up if I ever need to. But yeah, I literally was like such a I was probably so cocky back then. I literally like chipping in and I’m like not even smiling. I’m just like so locked in like, “Yeah, I’m supposed to chip that in.” And nowadays, if I chip something in, I’m definitely smiling. Like, I I feel like I have a different viewpoint on golf than I used to. It’s probably way too competitive back then. Um, but yeah, super fun to super cool to win that state championships uh or that state championship. And, um, yeah, I was trying to chase Brennan Todd’s record of three 4A state championships in North Carolina. And I didn’t make it to state championships my senior year, surprisingly. Uh, I think I shot like 68 at regionals, 69 and it wasn’t good enough because they only let in three individuals. Um, so that was a bummer, but um, nonetheless, really good memories of junior golf. Awesome. Thank you for the time, Ben. Good luck this week. Thank you, guys.