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Golf Monthly
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Jonny Leighfield

'Three Wins And Getting Married In The Same Year, Hard To Beat' - Ben Griffin Proves A Cut Above As Third PGA Tour Victory Arrives Weeks Before Wedding

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ben Griffin claimed his third win of 2025 at the World Wide Technology Championship after posting a brilliant nine-under 63 at El Cardonal at Diamante on Sunday.

The Team USA Ryder Cup star trailed Garrick Higgo by two strokes heading into the final round but played some inspired golf to reach a total of 29-under and triumph by two himself.

Griffin birdied all four of the par-3s on Sunday and putted beautifully with a new putter in the bag, dropping only one stroke - at the fifth - in his closing 26 holes.

The 29-year-old ultimately won for the third time in 2025, following on from his team success with Andrew Novak at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and his maiden solo victory at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

The only other players to have won three or more times on the PGA Tour this season are Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.

Reacting to a win that earned him a little over $1 million, Griffin said: "I got off to a great start, honestly, making some birdies. I feel like I've done that a lot in final rounds recently when I've had a chance to win, so that was nice.

"But after making a few birdies early, I kind of pushed myself a little bit harder than the past few weeks when I was in contention to kind of keep the pedal down. Fortunately, the putter heated up, made a lot of putts on the back nine.

"Yeah, it was fun feeling the nerves down the stretch trying to hold things off. It was nice to make a couple down the stretch."

Not only was it a great week, Griffin's latest win arrived at the perfect time because he is due to marry his fiancée Dana next month.

Commenting on the support Dana offers him and what his soon-to-be wife means, Griffin said: "Oh, it means everything. It's so great to have her out here, it means the world.

"So excited to marry her in four weeks, getting closer. Crazy, three wins and getting married in the same year, hard to beat."

Chad Ramey and Sami Valimaki ultimately ended up finishing T2nd on 27-under, and it was a fantastic week for both as the pair moved from outside of the top-100 to comfortably inside - consequently locking up their playing rights for 2026 as well as earning a huge pay day.

Higgo and Trevor Cone were a stroke further back still, with a disastrous 12th hole - which featured a 15-minute delay regarding a drop - ending in double-bogey and ultimately costing the South African a chance to win.

Nevertheless, Higgo's sparkling run of form continued via a fourth top-10 in a row while Cone must win one of the final two FedEx Cup Fall events if he is to stick around at the top level next term.

Patrick Rodgers and Carson Young shared sixth on 25-under, Matti Schmid and Nick Dunlap were T8th on 24-under, and Eric Cole completed the top-10 on 23-under-par.

WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD

  • -29 Ben Griffin
  • -27 Chad Ramey
  • -27 Sami Valimaki
  • -26 Garrick Higgo
  • -26 Trevor Cone
  • -25 Carson Young
  • -25 Patrick Rodgers
  • -24 Matti Schmid
  • -24 Nick Dunlap
  • -23 Eric Cole

Updates from...

WELCOME

Hello and welcome to Golf Monthly's coverage of the 2025 World Wide Technology Championship. With nine holes to play, Garrick Higgo and Carson Young share the lead on 25-under-par and they have a one-shot advantage over Ben Griffin in third.

The rest of the top-10 is extremely tight and a course this scoreable means any number of players can still walk away as the champion.

Stay with us until a champion is crowned, we're going to bring you all of the key updates as they happen. Thanks for tuning in!

POWERS OF RECOVERY

Just before I pressed launch on the live blog, Carson Young drained a putt from off the green at the par-3 ninth after it appeared for all money that he would drop a stroke. That could be a massive moment in terms of his title hopes.

Shortly after, Higgo was inches away from going out in front on his own after finding the dancefloor in regulation off the tee. As it is, we're on to the driveable par-4 10th all square.

GRIFFIN INTO A SHARE

In the penultimate group, Griffin navigates his way onto the green in two strokes and neatly tidies up for a birdie that takes him into a share of the lead. It won't likely be for very long, but Griffin is up to 25-under all the same.

TOUCH OF IMAGINATION

The course is playing extremely kind, admittedly, but you still have to execute. Having pushed his drive at the 10th, Young takes his 60-degree out and whips his ball into the air, past the flag which is in a little bowl near the front. Young uses the bank over the back and watches his ball roll all the way back down towards the flag, leaving himself a pretty comfortable birdie putt.

EAGLE CHANCE GOES BEGGING

The leaders march on side by side after Higgo's long-range eagle chance just slides by at the 10th. His birdie putt caused the 26-year-old no stress, though.

Young once again shows off his incredible short game by sinking the five-foot birdie try after that delightful wedge shot.

GRIFFIN PUTTER ON FIRE

With a new putter in the bag, Ben Griffin is on fire today. The fresh flat stick works wonders again by sending a long-range birdie putt at the par-3 11th tumbling into the cup. He is once again back into a share alongside Higgo and Young.

NOT QUITE FOR HIGGO

Garrick Higgo has a long birdie putt to take the solo lead at the 11th. It drifts right, but he shows good speed control to make his par putt more or less a formality. In it goes and he remains tied for the lead with Ben Griffin and Carson Young.

He's looking for his second win this year after taking the title at the Corales Puntacana Championship, but with a leaderboard as tight as this, it's still pretty much wide open at this stage.

TIGHT AT THE TOP

I alluded to the tight situation we have on the leaderboard in the previous post. How tight? There are currently three shots between the top nine, with Trevor Cone the latest to make a move. He's now two back in solo fourth after a birdie at the 11th.

ALL CHANGE AT THE TOP

Ben Griffin makes a birdie at the 12th to move to 27-under and take the solo lead. Almost immediately afterwards, one of the two in second, Garrick Higgo, takes his tee shot at the same hole, but only finds a shrub to the right of the fairway. Suddenly, there's a sense that the next few minutes could have a big say in his chances of a third PGA Tour title.

TROUBLE FOR GARRICK

Higgo takes a drop, and he won't be thrilled with that as the ball rolls back down towards the brush he'd just taken his ball from. Talk about a bad break.

Now, deep in consultation with a match official, he's contemplating another drop - and how his stance will take shape among the brush.

After much deliberation and redrops, Higgo is finally ready to take his third from a far from ideal position, and... it sails well left of the fairway, albeit in the rough rather than the penalty area.

It's looking like a costly hole for the South African.

YOUNG JOINS GRIFFIN AS HIGGO FALLS BACK

While Higgo prepares a bogey putt at the 12th, Carson Young makes a birdie to join Ben Griffin at the top of the leaderboard. Higgo, meanwhile, fails to make his bogey, and settles for a costly double instead.

Higgo is now three shots back having shared the lead not long ago.

WAYWARD FROM YOUNG

Carson Young had 165 yards into the par-4 13th and he was right in the middle of the fairway. However, his second shot - which was pulled - was woeful and has bundled into the bushy grass just off the course. That could be a drop for Young now. Is there something in the air in Mexico today?!

HO-HUM PAR

It's not a dropped shot in terms of the course, but Ben Griffin has only made par at the par-5 14th thanks to a duffed chip and he will remain on 27-under. However, with Young in trouble on the hole behind, par might not be the worst result...

TRY AGAIN

It's not a drop for Young, but he has no real swing available to him from the dirt with a bush right behind him. Young's third shot hardly goes anywhere after crossing the path and tumbles back into the dirt. He's allowed a free drop as the ball came to rest right against the cart path. However, when the young American did drop his golf ball, it plugged into the sand on which he is stood.

But that is sublime! Young produces what is effectively a world-class bunker shot to leave his ball a few feet away. This should be a fantastic bogey, and you don't get many of them.

PUNCHED IN

What a confident putt from Young. The 30-year-old drains his bogey putt and walks off to the 14th only trailing by one. Meanwhile, Higgo had to settle for par and remains three behind Griffin.

LEADER PLAYS IT SAFE

At the par-4 15th, Griffin bails out from the middle of the fairway and will have a tricky 25-foot putt for birdie in front of him. The tricky thing about that shot is that if you miss left, it's big trouble. So players - especially those in the lead - are likely to err on the side of caution.

TIGHTENING UP

It does feel like it's getting a little tense out there. Griffin faces a tricky 2-3 feet putt for par at the 15th while Valimaki can't pile the pressure on behind him.

A hole behind, the par-5, Young give himself a chance to get up and down for birdie from 30 yards out. But the chip is really quite tentative and that's certainly no gimme.

CONE MELTS

Looking for a win to keep his card, Trevor Cone looks for all money to have made eagle at the 14th from off the green. But somehow it just burns the edge and stays up. He's into a tie for third, though.

NO GAIN

Young drives a lovely looking putt towards the hole at the par-5 14th, but it rattles into the side of the hole and continues on its way. He makes par anyway.

In the same group, Higgo repairs some of the damage he suffered at the 12th by making birdie at the 14th. Maybe his chance isn't gone just yet...

WORLD CLASS

Ben Griffin moves two ahead via a wonderful long-range putt at the par-3 16th. He must have been 25 feet away, and it drifted in beautifully from the right before dropping in the right edge. Griffin two clear as Valimaki joins Young in T2nd courtesy of his own wonderful birdie putt.

PLAY IT SAFE

Griffin takes out a wood of some kind to find the centre of the vast fairway on the par-4 17th. He'll only have a flick left in.

This hole has been a green-light special today, and a three here would go a long way to icing the championship.

YOUNG STUMBLES

Carson Young might well be done for the week. At the par-4 15th, he three-putts from not that far out and he'll drop a shot. He's back to 25-under with three holes left.

BYE BYE BIRDIES

Considering the number of birdies that were falling earlier in this back nine, it feels like there have hardly been any as we reach the sharp end of this tournament. Griffin almost shuts the door on everyone at the 17th but can't manage it. Neither can Valimaki, who could have edged to within one going down the last.

Chad Ramey, however, does make a gain via an excellent approach and birdie putt and is now into a share of second. A result which, if it were locked in, would take him inside the top-100 on the FedEx Cup rankings...

RODGERS MAKES A JUMP

As the top-10 begins to settle down with players reaching the 18th, Patrick Rodgers moves up from T8th to T4th thanks to a closing birdie. The group in T4th is growing all the time. Five players on 25-under now.

Nick Dunlap can't quite join them, but that will be his second top-10 of the year. Better late than never, I suppose.

GRIFFIN SHOWS HIS CLASS

Taking out 3-wood, Griffin rifles his golf ball onto the front edge of the dancefloor and watches it skip around to the right a little. He has a legitimate chance of eagle now and should gain one stroke at the very least.

Following on, Cone and Valimaki are also on the green in two, but they're much further away and will be very happy with a two-putt birdie.

HISTORY AWAITS

Per the TV broadcast, should Griffin make this eagle putt, he would be only the 11th player to reach 30-under on the PGA Tour since 1983.

While that would be cool, I dare say Griffin would snap your hand off for a two-putt.

GRIFFIN POSTS 29-UNDER

So, history will have to wait for Griffin in terms of reaching 30-under, but the Ryder Cup star signs for a closing nine-under 63 and - barring an albatross - that will be win number three on the year!

BEN GRIFFIN WINS WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CHAMPIONSHIP

Garrick Higgo had to make an albatross to force a playoff on the 18th, but he comes up well short and the best he can do now is eagle. That crowns Ben Griffin as the 2025 World Wide Technology Championship winner!

HIGGO AND CONE T4TH

Contrasting feelings at the end for Higgo and Cone, but they ultimately share fourth nonetheless. Higgo made par to shoot a Sunday 68 (-4) while Cone has given himself a chance of keeping his card via a Sunday 66.

That's a wrap for the World Wide Technology Championship! Ben Griffin wins for the third time in 2025 - a PGA Tour club that only Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy belong to. Not bad company at all.

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