Ben Griffin breaks down his mindset after Round 2 at the Procore Championship: keep it in the fairway on a tight setup, stack birdie looks, and “keep the pedal down.” Despite a Ryder Cup-heavy week, Griffin says his focus is squarely on winning in Napa—playing freer now that his spot is locked and the playoff pressure is off. He reflects on the nerves of closing at the Zurich Classic, the confidence that followed at Colonial, and why Bethpage will still be “just golf”—stay calm, get energized by the crowd, and swing. Plus: the UNC story about making Austin Hitt putt (and why confidence on the greens matters this weekend).
Topics: Procore setup & strategy • Fairway premium • Mental game vs. Ryder Cup buzz • Closing wins (Zurich, Colonial) • Bethpage approach • Team USA camaraderie • Austin Hitt anecdote
Keywords: Ben Griffin, Procore Championship, PGA Tour, Ryder Cup, Bethpage Black, Keegan Bradley, fairways, mindset, Zurich Classic, Charles Schwab Challenge, Napa golf, Austin Hitt
Over the weekend, it’s been fairly Ryder Cup ccentric this week. You may end up playing with a teammate tomorrow, but how will it be different tomorrow? Yeah. Um, I wouldn’t even say my my mindset’s really been writer Cup. I I’ve been pretty focused on this this golf tournament. Um, without a doubt off the golf course, you know, hanging out with the guys and stuff. Um, there’s been some RDER Cup presence, but once I get on the first team, I’m thinking about trying to play well here. So, um, I’m not really trying to change too much of my mindset. Trying to hit a lot of fairways and, um, it’s simple stuff. you guys hear it all the time, but literally just trying to give myself as many birdie looks as possible, especially here because the fairways are so tight. You don’t know what type of lie you’re going to get in the rough. It’s very spotty in terms of uh the thickness of the rough. Um and so it’s it’s really important to kind of keep it in the fairway. Um you know, this week I’m just trying to literally do the same stuff I’m doing, trying to stay confident, stay motivated, and um you know, keep the pedal down. Super loose when Kira interviewed you on the course. You think you’ll be able to do that at Beth Page? Absolutely. Yeah, it’s just golf. It’s just there might be a few more people watching. might be a little bit more rowdy, but it’s just golf at the end of the day. It’s like I was telling Keegan even like I haven’t played Beth Perche before. I was kind of asking the captains, you know, should I go up there early and see the course? And they’re like, you know, I think you’ll be able to figure it out kind of, you know, that that week of and it’s golf. Just go out there and put good swings on it and um it’s definitely going to be awesome representing my country, but um you know, all of us on the team have played in a lot of big big events. I haven’t played in the Ryder Cup yet, but I know it’s going to be a little bit crazy, but I’m going to try to just have fun and be calm, cool, collected, and maybe get a little energized from time to time with the crowd. I don’t think they do walking talks at the Ryder Cup, do they? Yeah, probably not. I’m not feeling that one. No. Do you have a question? Did you play? I would, but what’s up? Did you play Tampa this year? I did. Does this feel any different than Tampa? It’s very similar. Very similar golf course. I’m talking about you playing a tournament and we and you got a bunch of pals here that you’re going to be teammates within a couple weeks and all this RER competition. Are you saying that the way you’re you feel on the golf course is no different than than Tampa, then Byron, then Amex, then whatever. I would say if anything, I’m a little bit more free compared to the playoffs just because there was a lot at stake for me both making the Ryder Cup team and everything. I just think it’s not like on the golf course I I felt anxious, but definitely in between rounds I was more anxious. I was, you know, wasn’t sure what the captains were thinking. I know every single round was super important uh during the playoffs. So, I I’d say there’s more relief now that I’m on the team. I’m I really have nothing to lose this week. There’s a lot of guys that are battling out their cards this year. Um you know, for the fall series, playing here at the Pro Core and playing the rest of the fall for me. I I have my job locked up for a long time. And so, uh I definitely have a little bit more freedom with the way I play golf this week compared to most. And so I I’d say comparing to Tampa, there’s probably maybe a little bit difference, but on the golf course, I I like to play pretty free, pretty confident golf. And um I definitely I didn’t play well at Tampa. I missed the cut. So I guess I’m doing something a little bit better here. Total example there. Would you say you’re uh was it more impressive to yourself? Was was winning either either Zurich or or Colonial or not disappearing? No. Yeah. Winning very What was your question? What were you most proud of? hearing meaning yeah meaning meaning winning and then and then we don’t hear again you kept showing up showing up all year long yeah I think winning was that was a huge goal of mine going in the year I wanted to win um hadn’t done it on tour I’d been in the mix a bunch and um after winning it definitely freed me up even more just from a a status standpoint just from a you know believing in myself that I can do it and that and that’s why I won so quickly again after and you know I didn’t win again this summer but um played some pretty solid golf and now yeah and you Now that we’re just into the fall, I have a good chance to win another one. So, um going to lean on those those couple wins that I have from earlier this year. Um played a lot against all these guys, especially my Rder Cup teammates, and uh I know there’s going to be some good golf played this weekend by a lot of other guys, and I got to make sure I stay on top. What’s the most nerves you felt this year? Most nerves, I mean, it’s probably probably the 18th hole at at Zurich. Um trying to win for the first time with Andrew. Alternate shot format, very difficult. And um was proud of the way I pulled off that T- shot. proud of the way Andrew put it right in front of the green and um I’d say that was the most nervous I was I was this year was trying to get over the hump and win that first time I’d say flash forward to like Charles Schwab there was much less nerves um coming down the stretch I’m trying to remember in terms of marking the victory uh won by a shot at Zurich and one by a shot at the Charles Schwab so you had you had to play on the 18th yeah there’s no messing around no lead safe John what’s it John Vanderel no lead safe yeah sorry to bring that up if it works out tomorrow that it’s you and Russell Is it just full competition or you guys talk Ryder Cup, you think? Yeah, we’ll talk Ryder Cup. I mean, we’ll we’ll talk like I’ve played a bunch with Russell. We we talk all the time. So, uh there’s a lot of time you spend in between shots um when you’re playing around a golf and so we’ll talk about a lot of things, but um when it comes time time to hit shots, we’re going to be locked in and trying to win this golf tournament. Um, but yeah, we’re we’re just I’d say everyone on the team’s just really excited uh to kind of get some competitive reps in, get ready for Beth Paige. But every single every single guy on that team is trying to win this golf tournament. I can tell you that. And so whether or not they say it or not, they’re pretty focused on this week. Earlier this week, had said that he was like impressed with how you guys were genuinely rooting for each other, but like he said, you’re also here to win. So where is the line? Yeah, I mean, I’m pulling for all the guys to play well. We want to build some momentum going into the RDER Cup. I think the the European guys are all playing at Wentworth. They’re all trying to play really well and show us what they’re capable of and we’re trying to show them what we’re capable of. So, it’s just uh it’s fun to pull for for some guys. Um I pull for a lot of guys out here. Um but especially the RDER Cup teammates this week. I want them all to play well. Um but I want to play a little bit better. On corner tour today, Austin hit shot 61 currently leading by two. Wow. Talk a little bit about your friendship with him dating back to UNC. Yeah, I’ve known Austin since just before he got to college, so I was probably a sophomore in college. Um, awesome, awesome guy, awesome player. He’s he’s dealt with a lot kind of last couple years, but um, you know, he’s been playing some really good golf. It’s awesome to see him play well. That’s great. He shot 61. I’m pulling for him hard these last few weeks. He’s, uh, right on the cusp of getting his PJ to work hard. I know he’s capable of doing it. Um, and hopefully he can keep the pedal down just like me this week. He credited his putting today for a reason for his low score and then told a story of you hiding his clubs in college. Oh yeah. Force him to putt. Yeah. So I would always get to the course just before him in college. And he was always known for hitting a bunch of balls, just go straight to the range and then just like go to the course and wouldn’t hit any putts. And we all knew that he wasn’t as good of a putter back then. And so I knew I was a pretty good putter in college. So I would always go straight to the locker room and take his putter and hide it somewhere in the Chapman or in the Chapman Center is what it’s called, our team facility. And um or I would actually let’s see what did I would I would what did I do? You said you hit all the irons and forced him. Oh, that’s what I did. Yeah, I hit all of his clubs except for his putter. I got the story mixed up. I hit all of his clubs except for the putter and I basically told him you had to beat me in a putting contest before he could go hit balls and he could like he rarely would would beat me and he would always get so frustrated eventually give up and I’m like, “All right, go hit go hit your irons or whatever.” But to be fair, I I’d practiced there for like my entire life, so I knew every break on the entire green. And he’s coming from Orlando where he’s putting on Bermuda and he comes up there to bend grass and so there’s a bit of an edge. Um, but it was just that’s just a lot of a lot of good good memories with Austin. Um, you know, he was a late bloomer, too, in high school. He he didn’t start playing golf until he was like 14 or 15. Um, and then got recruited to go to North Carolina and he’s been on a a very steady rise. I’d almost call it similar to like Andrew Novak, how his career was in junior golf. who’s a good player, but went to, you know, Wford, progressively, got better and better, got to Cornferry tour, kept his cornfair card, and I I think Austin’s on a similar track to like Andrew in a way, and um similar golfers, too. So, it’s it’ll be cool to follow him, and hopefully he gets the job done this week. What questions did you want to ask yourself? Ask yourself, um so what did you do? What did you eat this morning to, you know, did you take extra creatine? What did you eat anything extra? I’ve actually been eating Brazil nuts before I tee off. This has been a recent thing for this week. Read that you’re supposed to take like two or three. It’s good for like your gut health or something. So, I’ve been taking some Brazil nuts the last couple days and it’s been working. Justin, I told Justin that in scoring. He said he’s about to take some uh go have a couple Brazil nuts. So, everyone out there, maybe you should try it, too. Bogey free. All right. Thanks,
