Ben Griffin Leads Procore Championship with Pressure from Scheffler and Koivun
NAPA, California – Ben Griffin holds the lead at the Procore Championship, with a narrow advantage and his sights set on two renowned pursuers in the world of golf. Griffin, with a solid performance, finds himself in an unusual position on the PGA Tour: being closely followed by two elite players. One of them is Jackson Koivun, the world’s number one amateur, who has already secured his PGA Tour card once he turns professional. The other is Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, who despite a double bogey on Saturday, achieved an impressive round of 64 strokes, eight under par. Griffin, with a consistent performance, made his first bogey of the tournament on the final hole, closing the day with 70 strokes, two under par. This reduced his lead to a single stroke over Koivun and two over Scheffler. Griffin finished at 16 under par, with a total of 200 strokes.Expectations are high for the final day, especially after the large turnout on Saturday, the largest since the tournament moved to Napa in 2014. Scheffler, who started the round eight strokes behind Griffin, had an outstanding performance, despite a stumble on the 14th hole, where a mistake cost him a double bogey. Scheffler responded with three birdies in the last four holes, showing his resilience and determination. Koivun, for his part, did not have an ideal start, but managed to recover with birdies and an eagle on the 12th hole, maintaining his position in the fight for the championship.“He’s shown a lot out here on tour, even though he’s still in college. I know he’s got a lot of game. He’s right in second place at a tour event going into Sunday, so he can play just as good as Scottie, as good as me. I just have to focus on myself and stay aggressive and try to make a bunch of birdies tomorrow and not have to worry about anybody,” Griffin commented on Koivun.
Ben Griffin
Koivun seeks to become the second amateur to win a PGA Tour tournament in recent years, following in the footsteps of Nick Dunlap. Griffin, with three birdies and no mistakes until the 18th hole, demonstrated his solidity. Although a bogey on the final hole reduced his lead, he maintains confidence for the decisive day. Griffin has already shown his ability to compete with Scheffler, as he demonstrated at the Colonial earlier this year. Scheffler’s presence in the fight is not new to him.“I didn’t get off to a great start, not the start I was looking for, but I was able to turn it around mid-round, make some birdies, make some putts, change the script a little bit and stay in contention,” Koivun said.
Jackson Koivun
“I’m not too worried about what he’s going to do. I just have to play better than him. And if I do that tomorrow, I should be able to lift the trophy. Obviously, there are a few other guys in the mix as well, but I think everyone knows what Scottie Scheffler is capable of and I just have to stay ahead,” Griffin finished.
Ben Griffin
