Ben Griffin figured it wouldn’t be simple even after instantly breaking his tie with co-leader Matti Schmid and main by 5 pictures simply 5 holes into the ultimate spherical at Colonial.
Schmid stored it attention-grabbing all the best way to the tip.
Griffin earned his first particular person PGA Tour victory a month after successful a group occasion, taking pictures 1-over 71 to complete at 12-under 268 within the Charles Schwab Problem, one shot forward of Schmid as each struggled on a heat day with wind gusts round 30 mph at Hogan’s Alley.
Charles Schwab Problem payout at Colonial
The purse for the PGA Tour in Texas is $9.5 million, in accordance with BetMGM, with a $1,710,000 winner’s share.
Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photographs
Ben Griffin beats Matti Schmid by 1
Schmid pressured Griffin to make a 4-foot par putt on the 72nd gap after his chip from the deep tough behind the inexperienced went in for birdie. Griffin saved par from the tough, standing in a bunker whereas choking approach down on the membership with the ball properly above his toes on his chip. Schmid shot 72.
“First of all, it was like whack-a-mole hitting that third shot,” Griffin mentioned. “In my head, I was thinking Matti might probably make that. Fortunately, I had that 4-footer. I felt pretty good over it. Just left edge and trust it.”
Griffin and Schmid, the 27-year-old German searching for his first tour win in his 79th begin, had matching scores every of the primary three days.
Schmid was the one who surged in entrance early within the third spherical, taking a three-shot lead. Griffin had a five-shot edge after simply 5 holes within the last spherical, and at last let Schmid get inside a stroke with a two-shot swing at 16 earlier than getting the lead again to 2 with a gap to play.
Scottie Scheffler’s rating
Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1 and hometown favourite who gained the PGA Championship final week, couldn’t match his Saturday surge from 10 pictures again. The three-time main winner started the day six pictures again, however had simply two birdies and a bogey in a 69 to complete 8 underneath.
Scheffler fell wanting turning into the primary to win three consecutive begins since Dustin Johnson eight years in the past, and simply missed a fourth consecutive 12 months of ending within the high three at Colonial. He tied for fourth, one shot behind Bud Cauley, who shot 67.
“Overall it was a really challenging day,” Scheffler mentioned. “I think Friday probably hurt me in terms of winning this tournament, but overall three of the four days I played what I felt was pretty solid.”
Rickie Fowler by no means threatened the co-leaders, both, beginning slowly and ending his fading hopes with a 7 on the par-5 eleventh. Fowler, who entered ranked 127th after being within the high 25 as just lately as early 2024, shot 74.
The 29-year-old Griffin teamed with Andrew Novak, who completed 6 underneath at Colonial, for the victory on the Zurich Traditional in New Orleans final month. They left openings for others then, simply as Griffin did Sunday.
Griffin and Schmid took a four-shot lead into the ultimate spherical, and stayed 1-2 regardless of each ending over par for the day.
Schmid had six bogeys and a double bogey to go along with six birdies, whereas Griffin had 4 bogeys after opening with an eagle and a birdie.
“No lead is ever safe on the PGA Tour,” Griffin mentioned. “It can feel like a tournament’s done. Maybe if it’s Scottie Scheffler with a five-shot lead, it’s done. I was trying to keep the pedal down. I kept hitting a lot of drivers, kept trying to give myself birdie putts. I just didn’t give myself a lot of birdie putts.”
Griffin hit simply 4 of 14 fairways and 7 of 18 greens however made consecutive testy par putts on the again 9, the primary on the par-4 14th leaving him with a three-shot lead when Schmid missed a shorter putt for par.
Schmid received inside one by hitting his tee shot inside 3 toes on the par-3 sixteenth earlier than Griffin missed a par putt. The momentum swung once more on the following gap when Griffin saved par from behind a tree within the fairway and Schmid curiously aimed away from the opening along with his ball plugged in a bunker, ended up within the tough and made bogey.
“The only two places were right of the green or long left, and I think then I would have had to chip up and over,” Schmid mentioned. “I think the up-and-down was a little more straightforward. At that point I just tried to make a five, and thankfully I did it.”
Then he made issues attention-grabbing on the ultimate gap.
“Honestly I just tried to hit it long left a little bit,” Schmid mentioned. “Hit it pretty high so it would stop quite quickly and just came out a bit right and went in. A bit of luck, but deserved it.”
Tommy Fleetwood had the different spotlight on 18, after taking pictures a 31 on the entrance 9 to get into competition however dropping momentum with a bogey at 11. His birdie putt on the ultimate gap stopped on the lip of the cup, and he waited virtually 30 seconds hoping the gusting wind would push the ball into the opening. Nature obliged.
Fleetwood shot 68 to tie Scheffler in his forty first top-10 end on the PGA Tour, probably the most by a participant and not using a victory since 1983.
