Again gunning for FedEx top 50, Ben Griffin credits surprising ball switch for turnaround

Ben Griffin put the Maxfli ball in play in Houston last March, months before officially signing with the company.

He’s since turned his season around.

Griffin will tee it up in this week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon on the cusp of cracking the top 50 in FedExCup points. With just three weeks remaining before the playoffs, Griffin finds himself No. 57 in points, less than 89 points behind current last man into next year’s signature events, Aaron Rai, and in a similar chasing position as notable Open competitors such as Viktor Hovland (51), Min Woo Lee (58) and Jordan Spieth (60).

“We certainly saw this season how valuable those signature events are in terms of the point variance between the top 40, 50 guys and maybe who is 80 right now; there’s a humongous gap (No. 70 Lee Hodges is closer to No. 125 – 383 points – than No. 42),” Griffin said. “I don’t know if it’s skewed a little too much toward the top, but it is what it is and that’s the system. For me, I finished last year about the same as where I’m currently right now, and I was still able to play solidly this season. I’m not as high as I was hopeful for, but I’m still proud of how I’ve performed so far this year.”

Griffin earned his way into the first two full signature events of the year, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational, thanks to being among the Next 10, or Nos. 51-60 in last season’s FedExCup standings following the fall series. He made the cut in both, though with just two top-20 finishes in his first 10 starts of the season, Griffin didn’t qualify for another signature event until the Memorial Tournament.

He played himself back into the signatures – and the top-50 race for next year – with a strong summer that has included a runner-up at the RBC Canadian Open, T-5 at the John Deere Classic and three other top-16 finishes, all of which came after he put the Maxfli ball in play at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. (Griffin didn’t officially sign with Maxfli until a few weeks later, after the Zurich Classic.)

Griffin, a free agent to start the year, didn’t plan on making any changes this season with his equipment, let alone his golf ball. But when he heard about Lexi Thompson, who is friends with Griffin’s caddie, signing with Maxfli, he figured he’d try it out.

“At first, I had a little bit of doubt,” Griffin admitted. “But immediately when I started the testing, I couldn’t have been more surprised. … After doing the testing and seeing the results, I would go home during off weeks, and I was so excited about the golf ball and what I thought it would do to help my golf game.”

Griffin said he saw increases in ball speed (about 2 mph) and distance (about 8 yards). It also performed well in the wind in the Dominican Republic, where Griffin tied for 14th.

“Now I have tons of rounds in, I know exactly how it performs,” Griffin added. “I have a ton of trust in this ball.”

Since making the official switch, Griffin, the only Tour pro who plays Maxfli, has gained strokes off the tee in six of nine starts, a marked improvement for a player ranked No. 120 in strokes gained off the tee this season. He also is enjoying a run of six positive weeks with his approach play. With more control over his ball-striking and elite lag putting (Griffin is one of the best on Tour in approach putt performance), Griffin is excited to really test his game in windy conditions at Royal Troon, which is expected to see 30-35 mph gusts over at least the first day of The Open.

Last year, he missed the cut in his Open debut at Royal Liverpool, though Griffin found himself on the worse end of the draw and still only missing by a shot. He also tied for 39th last week at the Genesis Scottish Open, recording his best ball-striking week since Canada and only struggling with the flatstick.

As Griffin says, he’s trending – and just in time.

The Open field features all but four players currently ranked in the top 50 of the FedExCup standings – No. 28 Thomas Detry, No. 36 Taylor Pendrith, No. 42 Cam Davis and No. 46 Jake Knapp. Griffin is one of a dozen players ranked Nos. 51-70 playing at Royal Troon.

While the 17 top-50 players from last year who right now find themselves outside of that coveted cutoff are surely pressing – and maybe even planning to play each of the next two weeks as well – Griffin says he’s not stressing, even if the 750 points up for grabs to the winner this week would rocket him up the point standings.

“A lot can change quick – getting into contention, winning, finishing second, third or fourth; the points are so heavily distributed toward the top, those top finishes are crucial and you can move up very fast,” Griffin said. “But I don’t feel any pressure. I’ve already locked up my spot, more or less, into the playoffs, so I have job security for next year.

“I’m just trying to win, and if I do that, that will take care of the top 50.”