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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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He birdied all four of the par 3s.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 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,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cFortunately, 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\u2019m glad I was able to make a few putts in the second half.\u201d<\/p>\n
Griffin rose to a career-high No. 9 in the world rankings.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
There are two tournaments left before the FedEx Cup top 100 can maintain full status in 2026.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Young made a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 12 to tie Griffin at 27 under.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
And his year isn’t over yet. He is scheduled to marry Dana Maeloff next month.<\/p>\n
“It’s crazy, winning three games in the same year and getting married, there’s nothing better than that,” Griffin said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“There’s a lot of good stuff,” Higo said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been competing for wins in the last four tournaments, so we just have to keep doing what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n