It wasn’t nerves, it was creatine.
Ben Griffin’s final round of the BMW Championship got off to a shocking start when he four-putted the first hole from four feet and then hit his tee shot out of bounds on the second hole.
“So, I take creatine as a supplement, and this time I didn’t take it until I basically teed off on 1. I was at the end of my batch,” Griffin told reporters after the round. “I had basically a snowball of creatine — because it had been in my bucket for a month — and broke it up and put in any water bottle.
“I’m all good. I’ve taken it on the golf course before. It’s fine. I started taking it after my second shot, and I accidentally swallowed one of the big rocks in my water bottle. I’ve never ‘overdosed’ on creatine before, but I think I did in the moment because I didn’t really drink any water after that. I basically just inhaled a snowball. So, I started getting super shaky. I’ve never felt like that before and I felt like I had tremors.”
Ben Griffin reacts after four-putting on the first green of the BMW Championship on Aug. 18, 2025. Getty Images
The video of Griffin’s first-hole disaster quickly went viral on social media as he started his round with a triple and then a double bogey.
“I four-putted 1, and on 2, I like was freaking out and didn’t know what to do. Like, I hit it so far out of bounds,” Griffin said. “Luckily, my caddie stepped in and made me chug a whole water, and I tried to calm down a little bit. I hit the other one in play and then I was fine.”
Creatine is a popular supplement often used by those working out as it supplies a continuous energy supply to your muscles.
Griffin rebounded nicely afterwards, birdieing seven of the final 12 holes at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland, to finish the tournament tied for 12th.
Ben Griffin after his tee shot out of bounds on the second hole. Getty Images
The 29-year-old Griffin had a breakout season on the PGA Tour, capturing the first two wins of his career at the Zurich Classic — with partner Andrew Novak — and at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
He is currently ninth in the Ryder Cup standings and will be among the players captain Keegan Bradley could choose for the showdown with Europe next month at Bethpage.
“It was definitely not one of those situations where I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I don’t know where the golf ball is going,’” Griffin said. “I was confident going into the round. It just kind of happened. It’s unfortunate.
“But yeah, it was a weird feeling. I honestly got to the, whatever, third tee box and I was like, ‘Well, I’m fine.’ Let’s pretend like that didn’t happen. Kind of sucks in the moment.”
Ben Griffin four-putts on the first hole of the final round at the BMW Championship. Getty Images
Scottie Scheffler rallied past Robert MacIntyre to win the BMW Championship, his fifth title of the season.
Griffin and Scheffler will be among the 30 players to tee it up next week at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, with the winner taking home $10 million.
