Masters star to make debut after facing $15K debt | Golf News

Ben Griffin emerged as one of the standout contenders on the PGA Tour in 2025, and he’s set to make his Masters debut next week — a exceptional turnaround for a participant who once walked away from skilled golf to take a desk job.

Griffin, 29, is now a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, made his Ryder Cup debut in September, and will arrive at Augusta National next week ranked among the top 20 gamers in the world.

Things may have turned out very otherwise for the previous North Carolina Tar Heel. After failing to retain his card on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, he discovered himself grinding away on mini tours, accumulating debt and growing disillusioned with the game.

“I’d lost my motivation and love for golf. The stress of playing with $15,000 of credit-card debt was agony, so I quit,” he recalled for Golf Digest in 2023.

By 2021, he had taken a place as a loan officer for a mortgage lender, before discovering renewed inspiration after capturing a 63 on his own ball during a member-guest event at Highland Springs in Missouri.

He also “accidentally” drove to a golf course instead of his workplace on one event, and he took it as a signal to recommit to the sport and chase his goals.

Gradually, his confidence returned, and pledges of financial backing from rich associates gave him one last alternative to attain the PGA Tour. Griffin capitalized on the chance, incomes a PGA Tour card in 2023 following three second-place finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour. Two years on, he has three event victories to his identify — the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Charles Schwab Challenge, and Worldwide Technology Championship.

He earned choice for Team USA’s Ryder Cup squad after climbing to No. 8 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He posted a 1-1 report in a loss to Team Europe at Bethpage Black.

His efficiency has secured him entry into all 4 majors this season, and these days, he possesses no scarcity of confidence. Following his victory in Mexico in November, he established an formidable goal for his maiden look at Augusta National next week.

“Yeah, but winning the Masters is highest,” he said. “I’ve never played it before, and I want to be a winner in my first appearance. I think that would be cool.”

His latest performances have been less than stellar, however. He has failed to report a top-10 outcome this season, and he missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players, and the Valspar Championship before a T28 exhibiting at the Texas Children’s Houston Open last week.