NAPA, Calif. (AP) — Ben Griffin finds himself in a difficult position, holding a one-stroke lead at the Procore Championship as two top-ranked players chase him. One is Auburn junior Jackson Koivun, the world's No. 1 amateur, who has already secured his PGA Tour card by turning pro. The other, more intimidating, is Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 golfer, who, despite a double bogey Saturday, carded an impressive 8-under 64.
Griffin made his first bogey of the tournament on the final hole, finishing with a 2-under 70, which cut his lead to one stroke over Koivun and two over Scheffler. Griffin sits at 16 under par with a 200-stroke total. “He’s proven himself here on tour, even though he’s still in college,” Griffin said of Koivun, who led the Americans to victory in the Walker Cup at Cypress Point last week. “I know he has a great game. He’s right behind him in second place in a tour event heading into Sunday, so he can play as well as Scottie and I,” he added. “I just have to focus on myself, stay aggressive, and try to make a lot of birdies tomorrow without worrying about anyone else.”
High expectations for Sunday's show
The atmosphere promises to be exciting if Saturday was any indication. The crowd was the largest since the tournament moved to Napa in 2014, even larger than when Phil Mickelson participated. It was a chance to see nearly every player on the U.S. Ryder Cup team in their final appearance before heading to Bethpage Black for matches on September 26-28. Most were there to see Scheffler, with the crowd chanting “Scottie!” and “USA!” on most holes.
“If I go out and play good, consistent golf, I’ll start moving up the leaderboard, and that was the goal today,” said Scheffler, who began the round eight strokes behind Griffin. He missed only two greens and had a big error on the 14th. His tee shot drifted into thick, soft rough. He came up short of the green and attempted a chip near a tricky flag, but it came out soft and ended up in a bad lie in a deep bunker. He got it out to 15 feet and needed two putts for a double bogey. However, Scheffler responded with three birdies in his final four holes, two of them on par-5s, and another birdie with a 7-iron to 6 feet on the par-3 17th.
Koivun recovers after a difficult start
Koivun didn't get off to a good start, with two bogeys on the opening holes, but recovered with a birdie on the par-3 8th and a tricky putt from a fairway bunker that left him 20 feet away for a stress-free putt, crucial at that point to avoid another stumble. He then shot 5-under on the back nine, including an eagle for the second straight day on the par-5 12th with a 40-foot putt. “I didn't get off to a great start, not what I expected, but I was able to turn it around midway through the round, make some birdies, make putts, and stay in contention,” Koivun said. He has a chance to become the second amateur to win on the PGA Tour in two years, following Nick Dunlap at The American Express last year. “I know Nick pretty well. I haven't talked to him about this week, but I definitely want to watch his replay and see what he did.”
For his part, Griffin didn't make as many birdies as he did in the opening round, but he managed to maintain his lead with three birdies and no mistakes until the 18th hole. He was playing his third shot on the par-5 18th from 127 yards in the fairway when he came up short of a front flag, missed a chip that went over the green, and had to make an up-and-down for bogey. Griffin had already won this year at Colonial, with Scheffler six shots behind. He also stayed in contention at Memorial, trying to catch Scheffler. So having the best in golf in the mix isn't new. "I'm not too worried about what he does. I just have to play better than him," Griffin said. "And if I do that tomorrow, I should be able to lift the trophy. Obviously, there are other players in the mix, but I think everyone knows what Scottie Scheffler is capable of, and I just have to stay ahead."
