Under-the-radar Ben Griffin gets big Ryder Cup chance for U.S.

Farmingdale, N.Y. — Ben Griffin, a 29-year-old who quit golf in 2020 to work as a mortgage loan officer, will make his Ryder Cup debut for Team USA this week at Bethpage Black. Ranked 11th in the world, Griffin has become one of the season’s most surprising stories, capturing two PGA Tour titles and posting 11 top-10 finishes in 2025. He is one of four rookies on the 12-man U.S. roster and is slated to miss the opening foursomes on Friday morning.

Griffin’s ascent has been defined by perseverance and momentum. After returning to the PGA Tour via the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022, he faced a gap between himself and the game’s established stars, but his sustained performance this season has narrowed that gap. He has logged 11 top-10 finishes in 2025, the second-most on Tour behind Scottie Scheffler, and has claimed two titles — the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April and the Charles Schwab Challenge in May — to solidify his status among the sport’s rising players. The consistency paid off as Keegan Bradley included him among four rookies on Team USA’s 12-man roster.

Griffin arrived on the Ryder Cup scene with a sense of direction and a belief that his results could carry him into the majors and beyond. He narrowly missed qualifying for the Masters in April, a near-miss that underscored how close he was to the sport’s signature events prior to this season’s breakthrough. The Zurich Classic title and a second win at the Charles Schwab Challenge helped crystallize his status as a legitimate threat on big stages, even as he remains mindful of the pressure and nerves that accompany the Ryder Cup.

Bradley’s captain’s picks placed Griffin on one of four rookies on the U.S. team, a group highlighted by players who have proved capable of rising to the moment when the world is watching. Griffin knows the Ryder Cup is different: he expects the mental test to be as consequential as the physical challenge, and he is prepared for the emotional reactions that come with the event.

“Mentally, you’re going through your rounds differently than you would in any other tour events,” Griffin said. “Because of that, emotions are going to come up more often. That’s why everyone loves the Ryder Cup. And I’m sure I will have some great reactions out there. I hope to have a lot.” His remarks reflected a broader understanding that a successful Ryder Cup performance demands more than precise iron play and long drives.

As the weekend unfolds, Griffin’s early absence in Friday’s opening foursomes will give him time to settle into the scene before stepping into the spotlight. If he can translate his 2025 form — which has included multiple top-10s and a pair of tour titles — into Ryder Cup momentum, he could help tilt a tightly contested competition and demonstrate that the sport’s most unheralded players can still alter the balance on golf’s biggest stage.

The U.S. roster arrives with depth and expectation, and Griffin’s path from a pause in golf to a place among its elite is a reminder of the sport’s nonlinear rise to the top. Whether his nickname—“Benny Booms”—becomes a lasting label or simply a chapter in a remarkable year remains to be seen, but the week at Bethpage Black will give him a front-row seat to the Ryder Cup’s defining energy and possibly a starting point for a longer career at the sport’s highest level.