Ben Griffin improved his chances of winning the Sanderson Farms Championship after shooting another bogey-free round on Saturday with a score of 6-under 66, giving him a three-shot advantage going into Sunday.
On his final three holes, Griffin made up-and-downs for par, the last one from a bunker to the right of the 18th green. To maintain his lead over Carl Yuan, who had a 67, he made the 6-footer.
A spot in the Masters, beginning the season at Kapalua for The Sentry, and possibly being the front-runner for PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year are all on the line for Griffin.
Griffin played several risky shots at The Country Club of Jackson, yet he is 20-under and has gone 37 holes without a bogey. The least of any round this week, he only hit seven fairways and missed four greens altogether.
“I may have chosen poorly and put myself in a bad situation on a hole. However, I believe that scrambling is one of my game’s strengths. And on a few holes, I had to do it. Other than that, I essentially hit my goals all day.” Griffin said with a smile.
Griffin already has his PGA TOUR card secured for the following season, but a win would really position him for the $20 million tournaments in 2024.
No. 151 in the FedExCup is Yuan. There are only five tournaments left after this week, and only the top 125 finishers in the FedExCup Fall receive full status for 2024.
Those who were directly behind Yuan can relate. Luke List (No. 119), Scott Stallings (No. 130), and Henrik Norlander (No. 142) were all tied for third place, four strokes down.
Stalling equaled the lowest score of the third round with a 65, which he contributed to by sinking an eagle putt from 50 feet away from the reachable 15th. He gave thanks to Wesley Bryan after observing his pitch during the challenging sprint through the green. Realising how fast the front is, Stallings altered his shot.
“Up until I noticed how quickly his ball moved once it passed the hole, I was prepared to play an entirely different shot. I actually tried to check-spin it just over the edge, but it definitely struck it extremely lucky. But I was pleased with the way I carried it out.” Stallings said.
List and Norlander both shot 68.
After making his Ryder Cup debut in Italy, Ludvig Aberg of Sweden finally found his game late in the round. He closed the margin to six strokes with a 66 after making five birdies in the final eight holes.
Aberg is ranked 136th, but his card is already secured for 2024 thanks to his victory as a top senior at Texas Tech in the PGA TOUR University rankings. He would qualify for THE PLAYERS Championship among other things by placing in the top 125.
When Griffin teed off, he could tell the course was producing high scores because he moved swiftly in the right direction. On the second hole, a tough wedge from the Bermuda rough rolled out to 4 feet for a birdie, and on the third par-5, he two-putted for a birdie from 35 feet.
After that, he added a few birdies from 12 feet and his longest putt, which came from roughly 25 feet on the 13th hole, to ensure that he maintained his lead.
Griffin had a chance to win the Butterfield Bermuda Championship when his rookie year began, but he was overtaken late in the day and ended up tying for third. On Sunday, he’ll try to hold off any opponents he faces in order to win his first PGA TOUR match.
