Ben Griffin entered the Sanderson Farms Championship behind a crowded group of competitors before stealthily slipping by them on Friday afternoon with a 30 on the back nine, giving him a 9-under 63 and a two-shot lead heading into the weekend.
Griffin’s score at The Country Club of Jackson’s 14th par-5 hole, highlighted by a 65-foot eagle from the fringe, was one shot better than his previous best from his rookie season.
Out of his seven birdies, only one was made within of 10 feet.
Harrison Endycott (65), Luke List (66), Carl Yuan (66), and Henrik Norlander (67) were two strokes back of Griffin at 14-under.
The Sanderson Farms Championship is an event of the FedExCup Fall, where competitors strive to be in the top 125 in the standings to guarantee their spots on the PGA TOUR in 2024.
Griffin already has his card locked up and is ranked 66. Now, he wants to finish in the top 60 to earn a spot in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational, two Signature Events that will take place early in the following year.
The four players behind him are all in danger of missing out or are in dire need of a successful weekend. After this week, there are still five tournaments in the FedExCup Fall. One of them, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, is a Japanese competition with a small field.
Griffin thought he played Thursday’s opening round just as well until he hit a wall in the final five holes, shooting 1-over par and having to settle for a 67. Such performance appeared to reflect his debut campaign. He had a strong start, almost triumphing in Bermuda. He competed successfully in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill against a good field. After that, he spent the remainder of the summer struggling.
He remarked, “I wanted to make sure I stayed aggressive.”
Griffin made two 15-foot birdie putts to start the back nine, then on the 14th, he made a long eagle putt for what he dubbed a “bonus.” On the reachable 15th hole, he drove it just over the green, pitched into the grain to 10 feet, and made a birdie to take the lead.
He finished the round with a birdie from 15 feet on the 17th and had a chance to get even closer to the hole on the 18th, but he missed one from just inside 10 feet.
Nevertheless, his 63 was a single point better than the scores he recorded in the Wyndham Championship, Bermuda Open, and The American Express.
When he took the lead on Thursday with a 64, Chesson Hadley wasn’t quite as scary as he claimed to be. He had a 69 and was three shots back in the big group.
South African Erik van Rooyen, who is also vying for a spot in the top 125, was among those at 9-under 135 and appeared to be somewhat shocked. He believed he hit his gap wedge a little heavily because he was just trying to get to the house without causing too much damage. Imagine his amazement when it went in for an eagle and a 68 when he expected it to fall short.
Because scores were so low all throughout the field, the cut was made at 5-under 139. Mackenzie Hughes, the reigning winner, was one of those who didn’t make it. He made a valiant effort towards the end, but on the 16th hole, he hit his tee shot into a hazard and suffered a bogey.
Hughes almost missed earning a spot in all of the $20 million tournaments the next year by failing to place in the top 50. He is still in excellent enough condition to enter the first two.
Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, who had just played in his first Ryder Cup in Rome, had a 69 and was six strokes down. When he concluded at Texas Tech University earlier this year, Aberg was ranked No. 1 in the PGA TOUR University rankings. His card is slated to expire in 2024, but he wants to place in the top 125 to qualify for those coveted benefits.
