Ben Griffin’s surprising 3-putt finish? He described in 2 words

Ben Griffin knew who was waiting for him. Scottie Scheffler, the undisputed World No. 1, had just shot 67 to grab the clubhouse lead at the Procore Championship on Sunday. Griffin, the 54-hole leader, now needed to birdie the par-5 18th to force a playoff.

If you watched the action at Silverado Resort in Napa, California, on Sunday, you already know what happened.

Griffin hit his second shot on the green to 60 feet away, came up 6 feet short on his eagle putt and then rimmed out on the left lip with his birdie try. The three-putt par meant he shot 70, missed the playoff and finished in solo second behind Scheffler, who won for the sixth time on the season.

So, what happened?

“I was trying to make eagle,” Griffin said afterwards. “Putt was just a little slower than I expected. I don’t know if I hit my line on the last, but I looked up and it looked like it was breaking pretty good to the left and I tried to play it straighter to right center. It’s tough late in the day. Again, I said it [Saturday], late in the day on poa annua greens you’re just trying to put a good stroke on it and see what happens. I felt like just wasn’t quite as sharp from short range as I needed to be.”

Griffin finished 50th in Strokes Gained: Putting on Sunday, which came three days after he was second in the field in that same category in the first round.

He birdied the first three holes on Sunday but didn’t make another until the 15th, and his round also included three other missed 5-footers — two he needed to save par and another for birdie.

“Every time I finish second I feel like I’ve learned something. I just really got to make more of those 5-, 6-footers on Sundays,” Griffin said. “Those are the ones that help you win the tournament. I had a couple on the front nine that I missed, and then I had a couple down the stretch that I missed from mid-range. I make a good amount. It’s just a bummer, seems like it’s a consistent thing.”

For Scheffler, the sixth win of the year was his 19th of his career, and he now joins Tiger Woods as the only players since 1983 to win at least six times in multiple seasons.

“He’s a hell of a player, he’s got the resume that’s better than pretty much everyone here,” Griffin said. “He’s just like every other player, everyone can beat everyone, you’ve just got to play better.”

Still, it’d be foolish to say Griffin’s week in Napa was an unfortunate one. His solo second earned him $654,000 and is the second runner-up finish of the season, complementing his pair of victories.

He’s also about to play in his first Ryder Cup, and now he knows what he needs to sharpen up as he preps for Bethpage Black in two weeks. So is he dwelling on Sunday’s short-putt woes?

Hardly.

“S— happens,” he said. “I’ll bounce back.”