Ben Griffin

His great-grandfather, Benjamin Cowan Shields, played professional baseball (pitcher) for the New York Yankees from 1924-25, Boston Red Sox in 1930, and Philadelphia Phillies in 1931. He joined the Yankees late in 1923, pitched batting practice, and Babe Ruth hit a line drive into the right side of his chest. Near the end of 1925, Shields had recurring medical problems and discovered the line drive damaged his lung, which became infected over two years. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis and voluntarily retired until his return in 1930.
His parents met at the University of North Carolina and stayed in Chapel Hill. He started playing golf as soon as he could walk. He remembers playing in US kids' events with his dad caddying. he shared a lot of special moments alongside his father.
Griffin went to UNC and played on the golf team. He graduated in 2018 and turned pro. Played in all 12 Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour Canada events, making eight cuts, recording a win at the Staal Foundation Open, and posting one other top-10 finish. Ended the year 8th on the Order of Merit, earning an exemption into the final stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School and PGA Tour Canada status for the 2019 season.
2019 Notes: Split his time between the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Canada, making eight Korn Ferry Tour starts, with three made cuts. Made one cut in five appearances in Canada.
2020/21 Notes: Played the inaugural LOCALiQ Series, appearing in four tournaments and making two cuts. Finished the season 122nd on the points list. But, the financial burden of competing on mini-tours became too overwhelming. Griffin lost his status on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, and after failing to get through Q-School before the onset of the pandemic, he wasn't left with many options besides the Monday qualifying grind. So with very few choices and burnt out on professional golf, Griffen stepped away from the game and worked as a loan officer for a mortgage group in North Carolina during the spring and summer of 2021. He had previous experience as a North Carolina realty company property manager. Griffen was a loan officer, so he was financing homes and residential mortgages from the end of March to the beginning of April until the end of July, the beginning of August of 2021, Griffin told Sports Illustrated. In July, a few members at Highland Springs CC, the host of an annual Korn Ferry Tour event in Missouri, offered to pay for Griffin's expense to fly out to their Monday qualifier. Griffin took the offer, shot 65, and made it into the field. He didn't make the cut that week, but soon after, a friend of Griffin's trainer stepped up with an offer for sponsorship. The generous backing gave Griffin another shot at a goal that once seemed out of reach. From there, Griffin played his way into the Final Stage of Q-School and secured Korn Ferry Tour status for 2022.
2022 Notes: Played in 22 Korn Ferry Tour events making 10 cuts but with five top-ten finishes. Was runner-up in three events, Astara Golf Championship, LECOM Suncoast Classic, and BMW Charity Pro-am. Earned his first PGA Tour card with a 15th-place finish on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Eligibility Points List. Finished 4th at the Wyndham Championship in his 4th career start on the PGA Tour, competing on a sponsor exemption.
2023 Notes: With rounds of 65-64-66, had a share of the lead going into the final round of the Bermuda Championship. Shot final round 72 to finish T-3rd, two shots back of winner Seamus Power. Was T-14th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. With this finish earned a spot in the 151st Open Championship.