LOS CABOS, Mexico (AP) — Ben Griffin avoided the mistakes that slowed down two of his challengers Sunday and sank three long birdie putts for a 9-under 63 to win his third PGA Tour title of the season at the Worldwide Technology Championship.
Griffin made a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th at El Cardonal in Diamante for a two-stroke victory. He joins Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as the only players with at least three wins, and one of Griffin’s wins came in a team event in New Orleans.
Playing for the second time since making his Ryder Cup debut, Griffin made five consecutive birdies starting at No. 8. Among them: a 40-foot putt on the par-3 11th to take the lead, a 25-foot putt on the 12th to take his first lead, and a 25-foot putt on the par-3 16th to nearly clinch the victory.
He birdied all four of the par 3s.
“After making some birdies early on, I was able to push myself a little bit more than the past few weeks where I was in a race to keep my foot on the pedal,” Griffin said. “Fortunately, my putter got hot and I made a lot of putts on the back nine. It was fun to be nervous and try to keep it under control. I’m glad I was able to make a few putts in the second half.”
Griffin rose to a career-high No. 9 in the world rankings.
Sami Valimaki (64) and Chad Ramey (65) tied for second place, giving them a valuable consolation. Valimaki started this week in 103rd place in the FedEx Cup, but moved up to 76th place and secured a spot on the full card next year. Ramey has moved up from No. 123 to No. 89, so it’s probably safe to keep the card.
There are two tournaments left before the FedEx Cup top 100 can maintain full status in 2026.
“My only goal for the last three tournaments was to maintain my qualification for next year, so I think this finish should seal the deal,” Valimaki said.
Griffin’s biggest challenges were Garrick Higgo and Carson Young. They shared the lead until the back nine on another day with virtually no wind.
Higo missed his tee shot on the 12th into the bushes, was penalized for an unplayable lie, and made double bogey. He shot a 68 and finished 3 behind.
Young made a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 12 to tie Griffin at 27 under.
However, his approach on the 13th went down a slope to the left, across a cart path and into the local area. He hit a bogey, hit a pedestrian pitch on the par-5 14th and held off birdie, and three-putted for bogey on the 15th. He tied for 6th in shots with 68.
Griffin had no such problems, aside from a three-putt bogey on the fifth hole. From there he had a solid performance, finishing at 29-under 259.
And his year isn’t over yet. He is scheduled to marry Dana Maeloff next month.
“It’s crazy, winning three games in the same year and getting married, there’s nothing better than that,” Griffin said.
Higgo moved up to 52nd place in the FedEx Cup, securing a spot to play at Pebble Beach and Riviera at least early next season. Both are major $20 million events. He finished tied for seventh or better in four starts in the fall FedEx Cup.
“There’s a lot of good stuff,” Higo said. “We’ve been competing for wins in the last four tournaments, so we just have to keep doing what we’re doing.”
