Rising Stars Clinch First PGA TOUR Cards BRANDON MATTHEWS
Three years ago, Brandon Matthews suffered the worst slump of his golf life. He made just one cut in his final 18 starts of the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour season, finishing well outside the top-100 on the Points List and bringing an uncertain fate. For the first time since he was a kid, he wondered if professional golf was a viable career option. But the native of Scranton, Pennsylvania – a self-described “golf sicko” – has never wanted to do anything else job-wise, and his love for the game carried him through. He returned to his hometown and dug it out of the dirt with instructor Dale Gray; the left side of the range tee at CC of Scranton “was a divot.” Matthews returned to PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, on which he won the 2020-21 Order of Merit to earn full Korn Ferry Tour status. The momentum has continued throughout the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season; a runner-up at The Panama Championship in February was followed by a victory at the following week’s Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard in Bogota, moving him to the verge of securing a spot in The 25. With a final-round 67 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX, Matthews has crossed the fail-safe threshold of 875 points to secure his first PGA TOUR card for the 2022-23 season. The Temple alum and avid Dave Matthews Band fan, one of the longest hitters in professional golf, will put his talents to the test on golf’s biggest stage next season. “It’s pretty amazing,” said Matthews after punctuating his #TOURBound moment with a birdie on the 72nd hole in the South Carolina Upstate. “Obviously it’s been a lifetime dream of mine since I was a little kid. It’s amazing that I’m in the moment that it’s true now.” After crossing the threshold to secure his first TOUR card, Matthews is pleased but not satisfied. Following a made cut at the U.S. Open, Matthews returns to the Korn Ferry Tour with the aim of improving his spot on The 25 as much as possible.“There’s a lot of work to still be done,” Matthews said. “Everybody knows that the No. 1 spot means a lot. Hopefully we can continue to trend in the right direction … I think I’ve found a little something the last few weeks. If we can continue on this path, I think we’ll have a good shot for that one spot.” 8 THE ASCENDANT PRESENTED BY BLUE
BEN GRIFFIN
Ben Griffin’s grandpa was an avid golf fan, always monitoring scores across tours in local papers. Douglas Griffin lived in Hickory, North Carolina, the hometown of veteran PGA TOUR pro J.T. Poston. “He was like, ‘I love following J.T. Poston,’” remembered Griffin. “’But I want to see more Ben Griffin.’” Douglas Griffin passed away last July, with one line in his obituary reading, “Hit them long and straight.” At the time, Griffin was working as a mortgage loan officer. That line struck him and was part of a series of occurrences that inspired him to pursue professional golf once again. A few days after his grandpa passed away, Griffin flew to North Carolina to Missouri to compete in the Monday qualifier for the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper – motivated to continue to pursuit of his childhood dreams, and with the support of Highland Springs CC members whom he had previously befriended. He successfully qualified with a 6-under 65, and although he missed the cut that week, the fire returned. Griffin carried the momentum into that fall’s Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament, successfully advancing through First, Second and Final Stages to earn guaranteed starts in 2022. He hasn’t looked back. With a runner-up finish at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD Synnex, Griffin has crossed the fail-safe threshold of 875 points to secure his first PGA TOUR card via The 25 upon the conclusion of the Regular Season at the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna in August. It marks the fulfillment of a lifelong goal that began when Griffin was a youngster in North Carolina, born into a golf-loving family. The 26-year-old fondly recalls memories of playing with his dad and grandpa at age 6 or 7. He remembers the first time he defeated his dad for 18 holes, carding 72 to his dad’s 75 in Myrtle Beach when he was 12. He lists his dad and grandpa as part of his dream foursome. When asked to recall memorable golf moments, he thinks to his first TOUR-sanctioned title at the 2018 Staal Foundation Open on PGA TOUR Canada, when his dad flew from North Carolina to Minneapolis and rented a car, driving 8 hours to Thunder Bay, Ontario to offer victory congratulations in-person. Cowan Griffin once again surprised his son for the final round of the BMW Charity Pro-Am, where a top-nine finish would be enough to cross the fail-safe #TOURBound threshold. Griffin began Sunday in second place and carded 5-under 66 at Thornblade Club, enough for a playoff with Robby Shelton. Shelton won with a par on the second playoff hole, but Griffin and several family members and friends were able to rejoice nonetheless. Plenty of goals and dreams remain, but one is for sure. Griffin has secured a PGA TOUR card for the 2022-23 season. “Just really going back to what my dad always taught me, having a positive attitude and doing my best,” reflected Griffin of a key to recent success. “Really processing my thoughts and trying to get negativity and fear out of there … and replacing that with more courage and more belief, is really the key.” Next season, he’ll channel that mentality at the highest level. Loveland Reporter-Herald – ReporterHerald.com
