PGA Tour pro Ben Griffin reacts to his SHOCKING collapse in Bermuda

Ben Griffin led by two shots with seven holes to play at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, but suffered a back-nine collapse after becoming "a little too comfortable."

Matt Chivers

31 Oct 2022

PGA Tour pro Ben Griffin reacts to his SHOCKING collapse in Bermuda

PGA Tour rookie Ben Griffin admitted he became "a little too comfortable" when chasing his maiden victory at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Griffin's story is an incredible one. Before earning his first full Tour card on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, he walked away from the game and worked as a loan officer for a mortgage group in North Carolina in 2021.

He came second on the Korn Ferry Tour three times in 2022 which helped him to finish 15th in the season-long Eligibility Points List.

Griffin shared the lead after 54 holes at Port Royal Golf Course with Seamus Power on 18-under-par and after making six birdies in his first 11 holes, he reached 23-under.

But it was a truly nightmarish back-nine and the 26-year-old made four consecutive bogeys followed by a double-bogey on the 16th hole. He fell back to 17-under and dropped out of contention.

Positivity in defeat.
An emotional @BenGriffinGolf is optimistic after his best career finish on TOUR. pic.twitter.com/qJjUGBaVhB
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 30, 2022

He told the media:

"Hats off to Seamus, he played great in the wind. He knows how to play in the wind more than anyone out here.

"So it was a grind for both of us and there was a lot of back and forth most of the front nine and most of the start of the back nine and I just wasn't able to execute and he came out on top, so hats off to him.

"I felt very comfortable. 12's not that hard of a tee shot and I just let the swing get loose. I need to be a little more concentrated on my target in those situations, you can't let up in a PGA Tour event.

"I think I almost got a little too comfortable. I need to just again be a little more precise with my targets and really make sure I execute regardless of whether I'm in the lead, one back, two back. No. 13 was playing hard, so unfortunately I missed a short putt on really 12 and 13."

He added:

"Putting in the wind's very difficult, you see it breaking one way but then you're trying to play the wind and you don't know if the wind's going to hold it or if it's going to move it a little bit more. Just not used to it.

"The last two days I felt a little more shaky with the putter than I did the first two. Again, it's a learning experience and I'm just happy to be out here competing. I know my time will come soon."

Despite Griffin's praise of Power, the Irishman made four bogeys in his last six holes. He managed to cling on to win his second Tour title after carding a 70 to finish one shot ahead of Thomas Detry.

Griffin took confidence from his eventual finish for tied third which builds on a solid finish for 24th at the Sanderson Farms Championship, as well as a top five at last season's Wyndham Championship.