Ben Griffin is now a two-time PGA TOUR winner—this time on his own. Griffin captured his first individual stroke-play victory at the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge with a final-round 71 at Colonial Country Club, finishing at 12-under-par to edge out Matti Schmid by one stroke.
“My golf game felt great all week long. I was very confident out there,” Griffin said in his post-round press conference. “Put in a lot of hard work really all of this year… and I’ve been really proud of not only putting in the hard work but seeing some results.”
Ben Griffin eagled the first hole on Sunday to build an early lead, becoming just the fourth player since 1983 to do so en route to a win, but the back nine turned into a test of mental toughness.
“I took advantage of the early holes. Kind of had some hiccups mid-round,” he said. “The back nine was quite the grind… I didn’t go into the back nine only hoping to hit I think one or two greens in regulation… It’s just very difficult, very challenging.”
Griffin credited his short game for getting him through the pressure-packed finish. After Matti Schmid chipped in for birdie on 18, Griffin was forced to make a four-footer to avoid a playoff.
“Certainly when I’m over my chip on 18, you always have to expect your opponent to make their next shot,” Griffin said. “After he chipped in, I was, like, ‘All right, I guess you have to make this one now, as opposed to lagging it up there.’”
The victory also provided personal validation. Griffin referenced criticism on social media following his earlier win at the Zurich Classic—a team event with partner Andrew Novak.
“There’s definitely some hate comments I got last night, and I used that as fuel today to get an individual win,” Griffin said. “Some people were questioning my ability to win individual tournaments or the Zurich doesn’t count… I just used that as fuel.”
While he downplayed any notion of redemption, Griffin was clear on what this moment means.
“Definitely validation. It’s really nice to get the validation,” he said. “To be the last man standing on 18 is an incredible, incredible feeling… It’s one that I want to keep feeling.”
This win comes on the heels of an 8th-place finish at the PGA Championship, Griffin’s first made cut in a major, and propels him to No. 5 in the FedExCup standings and No. 24 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“It’s crazy how fast things can change in this game,” he said. “Now I’m at the point where I feel like I’m starting to show that I am an elite golfer. I can compete against the best.”
As for what’s next? Griffin said he and his fiancée plan to take the custom-built Schwab Defender 110 truck, the tournament’s signature prize, for a ride to the beach before the Memorial Tournament.
Ben Griffin wins the 2025 #CharlesSchwabChallenge! Along with the trophy, he’s taking home a custom 1992 Schwab Defender 110—a nod to the year Schwab launched its OneSource platform, which simplified investing and expanded access for individual investors. pic.twitter.com/RgG6ZYJUsu
— Double Take Sports (@dbltakesports) May 26, 2025