Ben Griffin Surges to Top of PGA Leaderboard: Inside the Breakout Performance Everyone’s Talking About

Ben Griffin heads into the final round of the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge tied for the lead at 12-under-par alongside Germany’s Matti Schmid, setting up a Sunday showdown at historic Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Griffin carded a third-round 66 on Saturday, highlighted by six birdies against two bogeys, to match Schmid’s 198 aggregate and keep world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler lurking three shots back. The 26-year-old North Carolina native is enjoying a breakout PGA Tour season. After collecting his maiden victory last month at the Zurich Classic team event, Griffin has rattled off five top-10s in 17 starts and climbed into the top 40 of the FedExCup standings. A win at Colonial would make him the first player since Scheffler in 2023 to capture multiple titles before June and would vault him firmly into the Ryder Cup conversation. Key storylines for Sunday • Duel at Colonial: Griffin and Schmid have been grouped together each of the last two days and have matched scores in five of their six nines, adding drama to what Griffin called “a friendly chess match on a chess-board golf course.” • Scheffler stalking: The world No. 1 fired a course-record-tying 61 on Friday and sits at 9-under, seeking his fourth win of 2025 and putting pressure on the leaders down the stretch. • Griffin’s putter: He ranks second in Strokes Gained: Putting this week; maintaining that hot flatstick will be critical on Colonial’s glass-fast Bentgrass greens. • Off-course support: Fiancée Dana Myeroff went viral Saturday by posting “Finish the fight” on Instagram, a rallying cry Griffin reposted after his round. Player profile Born in Chapel Hill, Griffin was once a banker after briefly losing Korn Ferry Tour status in 2021. The left-handed putter rebuilt his game, regained his card, and earned full PGA Tour privileges in fall 2023 thanks to a two-win KFT season. Known for laser-accurate irons and meticulous course management, he credits coach Robert Linville for tightening his dispersion patterns and sports a bag anchored by a 2019 Scotty Cameron Newport putter he refuses to replace. What a win would mean • 500 FedExCup points, virtually locking up a Tour Championship berth. • An invitation to the 2026 Masters, his first trip down Magnolia Lane. • A projected jump inside the top 35 of the Official World Golf Ranking. • Momentum heading to next week’s Memorial Tournament, where Griffin finished T8 a year ago. Sunday tee times place Griffin in the final pairing at 1:45 p.m. local. With Colonial’s narrow fairways and swirling winds, par will be a premium—and Griffin knows it. “I’ve dreamed about winning on a classic venue like this,” he said. “I just need to keep my head down, trust my swing, and let the putter stay warm.” Search-friendly takeaway Ben Griffin’s quest for a second PGA Tour title, his hot putter, and a head-to-head duel with Matti Schmid headline the Charles Schwab Challenge final round—a must-watch for golf fans tracking live leaderboard updates, TV coverage times, and FedExCup implications.