Q. Solid week. How would you assess the week?
BEN GRIFFIN: Definitely disappointed. My putter definitely wasn't quite a hundred percent there, kind of -- most of the day. I made it exciting there at the end for a couple holes. But yeah, ultimately, I mean, it's funny, I'd take this finish, like, a year ago, two years ago, three years ago. I'm definitely a little disappointed to not have made it a little bit closer or gotten it done.
So I'll learn from some of my swings down the stretch, I'll remember some of the good stuff, and I'll bounce back and get right back to it. So overall, great week, but, yeah, definitely a little disappointed with the second.
Q. Is it hard to stay in the present and lock in and not think about the past or the future when you're out there in that spotlight?
BEN GRIFFIN: No, I did a great job of staying in the present. I think all PGA TOUR players are pretty good at it, and that's why the scores are so low every week. This is obviously one of the toughest tests we have on TOUR and -- yeah, I was very present. I didn't look ahead to holes. I was just excited for each individual shot, and I think I've come a long ways mentally and physically to allow myself to do that.
Q. Earlier in your career, it was harder to stay in the present?
BEN GRIFFIN: Probably, yeah. Just hadn't necessarily won. It's easy for your head to kind of spin a little bit, and I think I'm just in such a great head space to be a top elite competitor now, and this one I'm going to make sure -- it kind of stings a little bit because I'm going to come back with some vengeance, hopefully.
Q. You said one or two years ago that you would have taken this finish. Is there going to be a point at some point where you'll think a second at the Memorial is good?
BEN GRIFFIN: I mean, certainly it's an incredible finish. I mean, this is, like, one of best fields in golf. So I'm definitely proving further more that I belong at the top in this game. It's just I've gotten to a point where I really like winning. You know, I won twice the last five weeks and those feelings are fun on Sunday nights when you're signing a bunch of flags. I was prepared to do that today and ultimately just didn't execute how I wanted to to get it done.
So I'm going to bounce back. I've got the U.S. Open in two weeks, and so I'm more confident than anyone that I can compete there and hopefully make things interesting.
Q. What's it like playing Scottie when he's in the lead on a Sunday? You're playing the course, but you're also playing him. What's the mindset and what's that challenge?
BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, I try not to think too much about what he was necessarily doing. It's easy to assume what he's going to do. You know he's going to hit fairways, you know he's going to hit greens, he's not really going to make mistakes and make a bogie and if he does, it's because -- like, 10, he doesn't have a back swing, so he can't get it to the green. It's stuff like that.
So I knew going into today I needed to shoot under par, and I knew my game was there. My putter was just a little shaky early. For some reason I didn't feel as comfortable on the greens as I did the first three rounds and then going back to last week at the Charles Schwab. So I did a good job towards the end feeling things out and kind of getting those feelings back. It just kind of stings, but yeah, he's a heck of a golfer. I mean, he's the best in the world.
Q. How big was the 11th hole where you made that 14-footer, it looked like you might gain a shot?
BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, honestly, I wish I hadn't even called a rules official over and just played my ball because I feel like I waited five or six minutes and kind of got out of my rhythm. And I'm sure -- I mean, Scottie, I don't know what his rhythm is. He still made the putt. But you know, yeah, that was a big moment for him. I had just gotten one back on 10, and so I was within a shot and then those next couple holes -- those three holes in a row where I lost a shot to him on every hole was tough.
But I'm proud of the way I held myself in it and played really aggressive. Hitting driver on 14 was very awesome. Very proud that I executed that shot. Honestly, it was two or three paces more left and that potentially gets up to there to 10 or 15 feet. But I told my caddie I needed to make and eagle or two to beat him. I knew I needed to go at least 4-, 5-under on the final stretch, and so that was a situation where I needed to hit driver.
Yeah, proud of myself for staying aggressive there. 17 sucked. There's not much you can do. It's just a really tough golf course when you get out of position. And, yeah, I wish I had that tee shot back and made things a little bit more interesting, especially since I hit a great tee shot on 18. Could have really applied some pressure there. But all in all, second place, I'll bounce back.
Q. You mentioned the eagle. You had the one. It's got to be -- I'm thinking about what you're thinking. You hit a great shot and then he almost matches you within a foot of each other. What's that like?
BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, it's pretty cool. I think as a viewer, anyone watching, I mean, it doesn't get any more exciting than that, when that happens, and then obviously, I make it interesting on 16. But yeah, those were probably two of the best shots of the day on that hole coming both from the final group. I had a great number to swing hard with a 7-wood from 260, wind was kind of died down, and I was pretty fired up after executing and then, yeah, shocker, he puts it in there, right? The same length.
Yeah, I fought at the end. I need to be better on situations like 17, but yeah, I'll learn from this.
Q. You mentioned your confidence. What do you think about your game is going to translate well at Oakmont?
BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, I mean, I'm hitting the ball far, I'm hitting it pretty straight off the tee, hitting a lot of fairways. I just need to make sure the putter still stays stable. Don't get any -- don't get shaky with that, and I feel like I'm going to be right there in the mix. I think a test like this week, it will prepare you for anywhere.
Q. On 14, did you hit that shot earlier in the week in practice rounds? And talk a little bit about, when did you make that decision to --
BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, I've never done it in my life, never done it in a practice round, never done it in the eight rounds I've played here or more. I mean, actually way more, probably 15 rounds I played here I've never even thought about hitting driver. Granted, I'm a little bit longer than I was last year and the year before. Yeah it was a situation where we're looking, we were doing the math, and there's wind, and I know I need to do something to beat him. Like if I hit it in the fairway and hit it on the green and 2-putt I'm not going to gain a shot, there's no way. Like he puts it in the bunker he's still going to -- like he still gets up-and-down. So I knew I needed to make up some ground and I had to hit driver there. Just had to envision the shot. I mean, just because I haven't hit a shot before doesn't mean I'm not ready for it. I can still pull it off.
Q. You're the same age, you and Scottie, you played a lot of junior golf. Did you have any sense back when you were playing junior golf that he would end up being this good?
BEN GRIFFIN: No. I don't think any of us in junior golf ever like think we're going to be the best players on the PGA TOUR. It's funny, at the time we're like our goals are to obviously get through college and get on the PGA TOUR. We want to be like the best players on TOUR, but we're so young that we're just competing against each other. And we're all pretty good at golf, but you don't really expect it. It's really cool now being at the age where we're all at like kind of the top of the game, Morikawa, Sam Burns, there's a big list of names that are kind of in my age group, so it's pretty cool to have shared experiences in junior golf and now be out here. But, yeah, I would say a message to like any junior golfers is just like you got to trust the process and keep learning and keep your love for the game because if you're a junior golfer right now you will be on the PGA TOUR more than likely and you just got to stick with it and trust it and don't get intimidated by it.
Q. He was just another good junior golfer, there was no clue in your mind that he was going to be this?
BEN GRIFFIN: No, I don't think so. Look, Scottie achieved a lot in junior golf, but by no means was he as dominant as he is right now. I remember, I think he might have won Player of the Year maybe one or two of the years in junior golf. I remember AJGA invitationals, I won one, I'm sure he won a couple. I mean, a bunch of different guys were winning. So he definitely wasn't as dominant as he is now. He's just really perfected his craft and really loves the grind and is always trying to get better, and so that's what separates him so much from a lot of guys is he's just put in so many hours of being pretty much a robot.
Q. Big pairing today coming down the stretch. What did you learn about yourself and your game today?
BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, I mean, I haven't necessarily assessed it, I've just signed the scorecard and come to you guys. But, I mean, I can compete out here, I can get it done. I got it done last week. Maybe haven't made it look as easy as I wish it would the last couple weeks, but I know I'm going to finish one of these off with a bunch of birdies soon and really dominate one. I had chances this week to kind of separate myself, and this golf course is just, you got to lock in on every single shot. It's not that I wasn't locked in, it's just comes down to a little bit of execution. I struggled on my right-to-lefters today, and missed that one on 18 last night and it's kind of bothering me right now, so I'm going to work on my right-to-left putts, no doubt, this off week. But from a mental stained point I felt really good out there. I felt calm, I felt like I was engaged with the fans, which was really fun. I was able to balance that and also keeping my swagger on the course and playing well. So I know I can get it done one of these Signature Events and majors, it's just only a matter of time.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports