RBC CANADIAN OPEN

June 2, 2024

Ben Griffin

Hamilton Golf and Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Obviously not the finish you wanted, but still a really strong week. What positives can you take from this weekend going forward the rest of your season?

BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, I fought hard. It felt like there was a lid on the cup for most of the day for me. I hit so many pretty good putts, I wouldn't say like striped putts, but pretty good putts and just kept burning edges -- a couple bad putts -- but stayed patient. I really just had a ton of fun out there. I played with Bob before earlier this year at Zurich and we had a great time, so I think it might have helped him too, being a little more comfortable, having some conversations from time to time. Yeah, just stayed really patient and fought hard and made some birdies down the stretch to make things interesting. Another second place finish is tough, but honestly going into this week, at least the first round, I was really struggling with my swing, and I honestly didn't even feel that great with my putter. I practiced putting in my hotel room for probably three hours this morning and probably an hour last night. Even though I made all the putts yesterday, I wasn't feeling as comfortable. I actually felt good with my stroke, I just came one short. But it's all good. I'll be right back at it next week now, I think I swung in, so I'm excited.

Q. What about your swing has been feeling good and what adjustments have you made with your swing and with the putter that paid dividends this week?

BEN GRIFFIN: The golf swing's so finicky. I think Rory was talking about it how he found something in his swing yesterday after his round and things kind of clicked. I feel like that's kind of the same with me. It can get off a little bit and all it takes is something small, like take it back a little more outside, for me that's one thing that I have try to have to work on is taking it back a little more outside, because I get inside and either get flippy or push it to the right. Felt good with my swing today, hit a lot of good shots, gave myself a ton of putts, and it's just a bummer I couldn't make quite enough. Hat's off to Bob and his dad, that's hard to beat right there with your dad on the bag. I won some junior tournaments with my dad on the bag, and I can't imagine what he's thinking right now and how special it is.

Q. How close do you feel like your game is and how close do you feel like you are to breaking through and taking your game to the next level?

BEN GRIFFIN: Well, obviously my game's very close because I just contended, so... (laughing). But yeah, no, I feel like it's just matter of time for me. Really, the first round kind of hurt me. I just got to get off to better starts. This whole year on Thursdays I've been struggling.

Q. Awesome finish and a good week. What are your takeaways from the week?

BEN GRIFFIN: I fought hard. I felt like the first, honestly, the first two, three days, I didn't feel totally great with my swung and didn't feel even though I made a lot of putts I honestly didn't feel that comfortable with my putter. I felt like today I did everything pretty well and felt really good about pretty much my whole game. Ifs there wasn't a lid on the hole I would have shot 59 probably (laughing). But I missed a lot of short putts that, like 10-footers that you expect to make, but you have those round sometimes where you just can't see it go in the hole. Fortunately, I finally got a tap-in on 15, and then 16 after seeing it go in I knew if I hit a good putt I could see another go in -- and then 17. So I made it interesting and that's what we like to do out here on TOUR is fight to the finish. Bobby was kind of scrambling a lot down the stretch and I looked at it as an opportunity to kind of make a charge and it was a ton of fun and wouldn't trade it for anything. Even though I finished second, tons of positives from this week and game feels good.

Q. You were smiling off the green, nice hug and emotion, how are you able to -- obviously a lot of emotions going on and being so close to the win but still keeping that good energy?

BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, it's, I mean, it's hard to beat being a PGA TOUR player. If you told me when I was 13, 14, 15, 16 years old I was out here trying to win a tournament, I finish second, I still would take it, I mean I think it was the coolest thing in the world. So yeah, it's, how can you not be positive out there, it's -- negative energy's no good. Felt like I did a great job this week, smiling, interacting with the crowd, having a ton of fun, and I'm going to continue to try to do that. I feel like this is my seventh week in a row and I could tell the last couple weeks I was kind of mentally not positive enough, not sharp enough, and this week after missing the cut last week I had a few days to kind of just get way from golf, and that was huge for me. Came in Tuesday afternoon and was fresh and excited. Love this venue, loved everything about it and, yeah, it was overall really positive week.

Q. Does this change your plans at all? I know you get into the Memorial with this.

BEN GRIFFIN: Slightly changes the plans (laughing). My girlfriend surprised me with a carry on suitcase, so I don't know if she's going to fly home and then fly to Memorial, we're going to figure it out. But you can't make plans in this game especially where I'm at with my status, my schedule. I'm not in the Signature Events -- things change super fast. So I've got to just treat every day like a new day and don't really, you can't really plan, it's hard. Like, I book a couple flights and I feel like half the time I end up changing both flights. Travel's kind of tricky for us out here and there's a lot of things we're always managing. Changing plans in this case is a very good thing. You never want to change plans expecting a made cut and miss a cut, so I had to do that the last two weeks. This week it will be a good change of plans to go play in some Signature Events. Those small fields are going to be pretty sweet, I'm excited to play in 'em and make a lot of FedExCup points and, yeah, put myself up there with the best players in the world, because, I got to be honest, the last month or two, other than the PGA, I feel like I have a lot of friends that I haven't really seen on TOUR and they have been playing the Signature Events and I've been on outside and it's been kind of a bummer for me, and I hate that feeling, and so now I feel like I'm up there where I should belong and playing up there with the best the next few weeks.

Q. Are you still going to do the U.S. Open qualifier tomorrow?

BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, I mean, yeah, I don't know where I'm moving to in the world, I know it was like 90 going into this week, I probably going to move right on that bubble of 60. Pinehurst is really close to home, tons of really cool memories with my dad down in Pinehurst, winning U.S. Kids and doing some other things. I played so much golf in Pinehurst, and it would mean the world to me to be there at the U.S. Open. So hopefully my World Ranking jumps up enough, but if not I'm going to get it done tomorrow. I'll probably tee it up and see what happens.

Q. Getting to play in the Open Championship, too, overseas, you clinched a spot now.

BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, it's just amazing. It's something I've strived to do since I got on TOUR is play in the best events and keep building my game and getting more and more confident. I feel like I was super comfortable out there today and it's, if I can continue to get really comfortable in these moments and bring it to major championships I played in three, I haven't had the most success, but I feel like I'm kind of close to breaking through and putting my name up there. I played so much growing up with Scottie Scheffler, Collin, Sam Burns, all these guys, they're having a ton of success, I know my time's coming and I just got to keep plugging.

Q. Have you been to Muirfield Village at all?

BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, I was there last year, I actually love it. My girlfriend's family's from Cleveland, so close by, so, yeah, I'm excited to go up to Ohio and play in Jack's tournament that, that's a special week, and can't wait to book that flight.

Q. A couple years ago in Bermuda, a similar situation with the finish. How do you feel things have changed since then how has your game and life progressed?

BEN GRIFFIN: Life's been amazing. Again, the PGA TOUR, I wouldn't trade it for anything, and growing up as a kid, this is what you want to do. Bermuda was tough because it was a different scenario, I felt like I was in Bob's shoes, and I totally understand his feelings. Coming down the stretch you're trying to just hold on, and for me being three or four back it's so easy to chase, and it's crazy how these feelings, you get these feelings and they're so -- coming down the stretch of a tournament it means so much, but I feel way more confident than he does, and I'm like being aggressive, and it's so hard to not play or to play aggressive when you're in the lead. And so, I've had that twice -- and I'm probably going to win my first time when I'm coming from behind, and then I'm going to get more and more comfortable. I just -- maybe I'll win wire-to-wire or whatever, I'll have a lead going in -- but I just I feel like I'm so confident chasing and if I can bring that same energy if I'm in the lead in the next event I play in or whenever that time comes, I'm going to be confident and I'm ready for it. I feel good.

Q. Do you need to postpone your eye surgery?

BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, I probably need to call my eye doctor, right. It was -- actually, it's funny you mentioned that, talking today it was cloudy, and I actually wanted to wear the sunglasses, because there was a couple times where I had some floaters and it was actually really distracting, but with the sunglasses on it was so dark, I almost need to get a pair that's good for cloudy days and a good pair for sunny days. But, yeah, I'm going to have probably postpone that. I'm going to try to figure that out, because I need to do it before my retina detaches, so, yeah.

Q. Back in Sea Island or where?

BEN GRIFFIN: Doctor's down in Florida, but yeah, it's a drive. I'm going to figure it out. Maybe I guess I could fly down and then fly back up. I know Memorial course -- Dana says no, so, yeah, we'll postpone it.