After winning his first individual PGA Tour title at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Ben Griffin knew which part of his game to credit.
“The scrambling is what put me in this seat here today,” the 29-year-old said after a final-round 71. “I’m very confident in my short game. I credit that going back to junior golf.”
Griffin was T37 in the field Sunday in scrambling, and first in sand saves.
And his success around the greens can be attributed to the hardships he faced growing up.
“My parents did so much for me growing up,” Griffin said. “They got hit hard by the recession, the 2008 recession. They invested a lot in me being able to practice and compete. I didn’t spend very much money on range balls. I was at a public golf course, and I would chip and putt all day. I would hit maybe a half bucket of balls for $5 or whatever it was, and my parents, they always considered themselves middle- to upper-class, but I knew there for a little bit when we lost our house, when we lost everything.”
First solo TOUR win! 🏆
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 25, 2025
North Carolina native @BenGriffinGolf claims his first stroke-play victory @CSChallengeFW. pic.twitter.com/fgwYS8Sssi
But all these years later, there was a silver lining. With the win, Griffin collected $1.71 million and has pocketed over $11 million in career earnings.
“I know they sacrificed a lot for me, and I credit a lot of my success down the stretch today to my short game. It kept me in it, and that's what I did as a kid. That’s what helped my short game be so good down the stretch today.”
Reflecting with the trophy beside him, Griffin couldn’t hold back tears.
“I didn’t mean for that answer to get that emotional,” he said, “but it kind of was.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as How the 2008 Recession Helped Mold Ben Griffin Into a PGA Tour Winner.
