It was a performance befitting his nickname, and we're not referring to "Benny Booms"—that handle awkwardly forced through social media during the Ryder Cup (one of many unforced errors by the Americans that week) that makes little sense for a guy ranked 70th in driving distance. We're nodding to his real nickname, whispered by college teammates at the University of North Carolina who watched the man make it rain with the putter: "Benny Buckets." That's who Ben Griffin was Sunday off the shores of Cabo, dropping bomb after bomb on the greens to capture the World Wide Technology Championship.

“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,” Griffin said after a final round 63 for a tournament record 29-under total. “Fortunately, the putter heated up, made a lot of putts on the back nine.”

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Griffin had ended his summer on a heater, finishing T-12 or better in his last five starts, including a runner-up at the Procure Championship. Making his first appearance since the Ryder Cup, the 29-year-old showed no signs of rust, earning a spot in the penultimate group heading into Sunday. The only difference: a new putter in the bag, a TaylorMade Spider Tour that would prove prophetic. After lurking through the first seven holes, Griffin unleashed his charge at the eighth, rattling off five consecutive birdies—most of the long-putt variety—to grab a share of the lead.

Yet for all the red flooding the board, the tournament was ultimately decided by a couple of untimely black marks.

The first came from Garrick Higgo, who commanded the lead until he blew an iron off the tee at the short par-4 12th into the coastal brush. "I was trying—the whole week I hit 3-wood and it was downwind today, so 3-iron was going to be perfect and I just hit the toe and yeah, it was just a bad tee shot," Higgo admitted afterward, the resignation evident. After a 10-minute discussion regarding his potential drop, Higgo took a penalty. His recovery approach did not improve matters. Double bogey. He scratched back with two birdies down the stretch, but a closing 5 on the 18th left him at T-4.

The other victim was Carson Young, the man with a mustache that would make a 1980s relief pitcher blush. Young stood tied for the lead after a birdie at the 12th, then watched his chances dissolve with bogeys at the 13th and 15th. Unable to manufacture any birdies over the final three holes, Young now faces a battle over the final two fall events just to keep his tour card for 2026. The difference between status and reinvention, measured in a handful of strokes.

It was all the runway Griffin needed. It wasn't long ago that his ability to close was questioned, mumbles trailing him through tournament Sundays like shadows. Now, Griffin slammed the door shut with authority, dropping a 25-foot birdie at the 16th—birdieing all four par 3s on the day—to roll out the red carpet on the final holes.

In itself, there's not too much to extrapolate from a fall win for Griffin. All due respect, this is the season that belongs to the rank-and-file scrambling for survival, the fringe players banking everything on a hot week. Griffin is not among this crew. He is a Ryder Cupper, one of the five best players in the world over the last six months according to DataGolf. Griffin is now one of three individuals on tour to win three or more times this season, joining Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in that rarefied air.

That's a hell of a list for anyone to join. Which is why Sunday was not so much a reflection of where Griffin stands but a testament to how far he's traveled.

Orlando Ramirez

Less than five years ago, Griffin had accumulated little in his professional career beyond mounting expenses and eroding confidence. The financial strain became suffocating, his passion for the game withering under the weight of reality. Faced with the prospect that golf might not be his calling, Griffin took a job as a loan officer, a surrender disguised as pragmatism. But not long into the gig, a friend asked Griffin to play in a member-guest tournament in Missouri. Griffin hadn't touched a club in months. He shot 63, the kind of round that that resurrects dormant dreams. In a moment of serendipity, the same course was hosting a Korn Ferry Tour qualifier just weeks later. He went back out, earned a spot in the tournament field, and those around him rallied to bankroll him, giving his ambitions one more breath.

Griffin has made the most of his second chance, transforming resurrection into dominance. This week showed that fires still burns with undiminished intensity. His year will be topped off next month with his wedding, and his fiancée Dana was one of the first to greet him when he walked off the 18th green, their embrace a reminder that some victories transcend leaderboards.

"It means everything. It's so great to have her out here, it means the world," Griffin said, his voice thick with emotion. "So excited to marry her in four weeks, getting closer. Crazy, three wins and getting married in the same year, hard to beat."

Given how he's played in 2025, it's getting hard to beat Griffin, period. Because there is no overcoming a man who bets on himself.

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