NAPA, California – Ben Griffin remains at the top of the Procore Championship, leading by one stroke, with a view that few have experienced on the PGA Tour.
The Leaders’ Persecution
Two world-renowned players are chasing him: Jackson Koivun, the number one amateur in the world ranking, and Scottie Scheffler, the number one in world golf.Scheffler, despite a double bogey, achieved an impressive round of 64 strokes on Saturday.Griffin, after his first bogey of the tournament on the last hole, closed with 70 strokes, reducing his lead to one stroke over Koivun and two over Scheffler.Griffin positioned himself at 16 under par, with a total of 200 strokes.”He’s shown a lot on tour, even while in college. I know he has a lot of game. He’s right in second place at a tour event going into Sunday, so he can play just as well as Scottie, just as well as me. I just have to focus on myself, stay aggressive and try to make a lot of birdies tomorrow and not have to worry about anyone,” Griffin stated about Koivun.The atmosphere on Saturday was remarkable, with the highest attendance since the tournament moved to Napa in 2014, even surpassing the presence of prominent figures.The crowd, eager to witness Scheffler’s performance, chanted his name with enthusiasm.Scheffler, with an outstanding performance, managed to recover after a mistake on the 14th hole, finishing with three birdies in the last four holes.Koivun, for his part, had a complicated start, but reacted with birdies and an eagle on the 12th hole.“If I go out and play good, consistent golf, I’m going to start moving up the leaderboard and that was the goal coming in today,” Scheffler commented.
Scottie Scheffler
Koivun has the opportunity to be the second amateur to win on the PGA Tour in recent years.Griffin, although he didn’t achieve as many birdies as in the initial round, maintained his position and will face Scheffler, who has already proven to be a formidable competitor in the past.“I didn’t have a great start, not the start I was looking for, but I was able to turn it around in the middle of the round, make some birdies, make some putts, like change the script and stay in contention,” Koivun expressed.
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 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 stated.
Ben Griffin
