Lanto Griffin Archives - Golf Digest Middle East https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/tag/lanto-griffin/ Golf Instruction, Equipment, Courses, Travel, News Thu, 17 Oct 2019 21:50:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/gd-favicon.ico Lanto Griffin Archives - Golf Digest Middle East https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/tag/lanto-griffin/ 32 32 Rickie Fowler’s beach wedding, Cardi B’s Tiger Woods reversal, and a big week for WAGs https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/rickie-fowlers-beach-wedding-cardi-bs-tiger-woods-reversal-and-a-big-week-for-wags/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/rickie-fowlers-beach-wedding-cardi-bs-tiger-woods-reversal-and-a-big-week-for-wags/#respond Thu, 17 Oct 2019 21:39:31 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=29938 Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we take back everything nice we said about Cardi B last week. Apparently, the rapper will NOT name her next album “Tiger Woods” after all.

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]]> By Alex Myers
Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we take back everything nice we said about Cardi B last week. Apparently, the rapper will NOT name her next album “Tiger Woods” after all. She was “kidding.” Well, Cardi, you lost a fan (of less than one week) and a customer. You don’t kid about stuff like that. Someone could see it and write about it and talk about it on a podcast and do an entire video about it. SOMEONE could! Did you ever consider that, Cardi? More like Cardi Boo, am I right? Anyway, fortunately, there’s a lot of other good stuff happening in the golf world. Let’s get to it.

WE’RE BUYING

Lanto Griffin: Named after Lord Lanto, a spiritual master, Griffin clearly mastered his nerves down the stretch of the Houston Open. He rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt to take the lead on No. 16 before two-putting from 60 feet on the 18th hole to close out his first PGA Tour title. And then the tears flowed like rain—and it was awesome:

Icon Sportswire

It’s been quite a journey for Lanto, who just a few years ago had $30,000 racked up on credit cards and whose biggest golf paycheck until 2017 ($17,000) came from being a fill-in caddie for Will Wilcox at the 2014 Greenbrier Classic. Now he’s No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings and working on a five-week streak of finishing in the top 20. The man named after the Lord of Light is lighting it up. Sorry, couldn’t help it.

Bernd Wiesberger: Speaking of quick turnarounds, the 34-year-old Austrian, who missed most of 2018 with a wrist injury, had fallen to No. 389 in the Official World Golf Ranking in May. But a victory in the Italian Open on Sunday—his third European Tour title since—has him at a career-best No. 22. He’s also the new leader in the Race to Dubai.

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

The guy is really Bernding it up right now! (Again, sorry, couldn’t help it.)

Rickie-Allison: The photos and details are scarce, but Fowler married Stokke on Oct. 5 in what looked to be a lovely beach ceremony:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3fBm4SJDMW/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=dlfix

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3fBmdvARtu/

As you can see, Fowler kept it “cazh” with a tee shirt and white sneakers while Allison looked stunning. Shocker, I know. She also showed some serious discipline waiting nearly a week to share a few photos. Clearly, the guests had a social-media ban as well, which is why no videos of the SB2K Crew tearing up the dance floor have surfaced. At least, not yet.

Mike Maddux’s golf: St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux and brother of Hall-of-Fame pitcher Greg Maddux—a strong golfer in his own right—made two holes-in-one in the same round on Monday. As the great Mel Allen would say, “How about that?!”

WE’RE SELLING

Mike Maddux’s staff: Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Mike Maddux’s aces on the golf course have completely outshined his aces on the pitching staff. Hours after news of his golf feat made the rounds, the Cardinals lost 8-1 to the Washington Nationals to fall into a 3-0 hole in the National League Championship Series. It’s looking like Maddux will be playing more fall golf next week rather than participating in the fall classic.

Replacing an old friend: I got a little emotional moving our upstairs couches downstairs (my basement lair looks awesome now), so I can only imagine what Henrik Stenson felt like moving on from his famous 3-wood. But after nearly a decade of hitting that thing like most pros dream of hitting a driver, the 43-year-old Swede has moved on to some new technology.

Hang in there, Henrik.

Golf in Montana: Before you jump down my throat, I think Montana is a beautiful state having been dragged to Glacier National Park multiple times by my parents as a kid. But playing through four hours of snow in early October during the high school state golf championship? No thanks. Then again, I passed on playing on Sunday because the temperature at tee time was flirting with 50, so I’m not the best person to weigh in on this:

https://twitter.com/richard_ecke/status/1181693435557732352

The most amazing part is this group of tough teens shot a combined 240 shots better on the tournament day it snowed. Those kids are freaking warriors.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour begins its Asian Swing with the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, AKA that event with an @ sign in the official tournament title, and island green on the final hole, and a trophy that is anything but a cup despite the tournament name. This is an interesting one! And don’t forget about “The Challenge: Japan Skins,” GOLFTV’s new event featuring Tiger, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, and Hideki Matsuyama. If you live in the U.S., you can watch on Golf Channel on Sunday night. Skins! Back!

Random tournament fact: Brooks Koepka is the defending champ, but has higher odds (9/1) than favourite Justin Thomas (9/2). Do you hear that? That’s a slighted Brooks throwing around a little extra weight in the gym right now.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—The Masters will ever be called The Masters @ Augusta National: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

—Rickie and Allison set their first dance to that song from his Rocket Mortgage ads: Even odds

—Rickie wore Pumas to his wedding: LOCK (Gotta stay on brand!)

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Rich Beem made a rare PGA Tour start in Houston and his 16-year-old son Michael caddied for him.

Tracy Wilcox

Tracy Wilcox

Beats going to school, huh? Beem told Golfweek he was giving Michael 5 per cent of whatever he made. After finishing T-55 and earning $17,400 that comes out to $870. Hopefully, pops rounded up to an even $1,000.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Eddie Pepperell continues to be an absolute delight. Here, he eats and reviews an entire meal in Italy while also getting drunk. Love it.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (ON-COURSE DIVISION)

Tyrell Hatton was interrupted during the Italian Open by his fiancé slamming a port-o-potty door. You can’t make it up:

“You put me off! You should be ashamed!” So good. As was Hatton’s approach shot moments later. Oh, and his response to it all on Twitter later.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Not everybody’s going to be a Jordan Spieth or Rickie Fowler or the top in the world,” Griffin said. “Some of us, it takes us until [ages] 28, 29 to get on tour. George McNeill, I talked to him last week, and he was 30 [when he made the PGA Tour], and he’s played for 14 years. So, hearing stories like that, that’s more who I am. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. Life’s still great, and I’m not going to change. This win’s not going to change me, I can promise you that. I’ll be the same person.” —Lanto Griffin is an easy guy to root for.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS

The Washington Wizards took a team-bonding trip to Topgolf ahead of the NBA season—and the results were pretty solid!

Well, not counting whiffs by Rui Hachimura and Moe Wagner. Guys, stop working on your free throws and work on your swings.

THIS WEEK IN PGA TOUR PROS-WAGS PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

It was quite a week for PGA Tour WAGs. In addition to Allison Stokke tying the knot with Rickie Fowler, Lanto Griffin called his girlfriend, Maya Brown, his good luck charm.

Icon Sportswire

Aww. Meanwhile, Maverick McNealy credited girlfriend and LPGA star Danielle Kang for the best round of his young PGA Tour career after she gave him a “talking to”.” And finally, Pat Perez’s wife, Ashley, became a news source by confirming why her husband was a late WD at the Houston Open.

And some people question why I keep close tabs on these lovely ladies. SMH.

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

There’s a chance that Mickelson will have a historic streak snapped this week. The 49-year-old has been inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking for nearly 26 years! The last time Phil wasn’t ranked in the top 50, “Mrs Doubtfire” (Great movie, RIP Robin Williams) was No. 1 at the box office. Not that he seems too concerned about it. Here he is practising Kevin Na’s signature walk-in putt move—in front of Kevin Na:

If Mickelson ever won a Masters like that, he would break the Internet.

THIS AND THAT

Tiger Woods is writing his memoir, Back, with HarperCollins Publishers. I would have gone with GOAT as the title, but that works, too. And at least he’s not naming it “Cardi B.”. . . Henrik Stenson and Annika Sorenstam announced a joint European Tour-LET event where men and women are playing for the same prize. Sounds great. Even better would be if Stenson turns that old 3-wood into the trophy. . . . South African-born Rory Sabbatini is eying a spot on the European Ryder Cup after changing his citizenship to Slovakia earlier this year. Two Rorys on one team might be a bit confusing, just saying. . . . And finally, it’s a bittersweet day because SiriusXM’s Channel 30 is switching from my favourite station, DMB Radio, back to my other favourite station, Billy Joel Radio—something that seems to happen every couple months:

Little did I realize when I heard “Say Goodbye” on Monday night that I was actually saying goodbye. I’ll miss you, Dave.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Why can’t SiriusXM offer both channels at the same time?

Is Tiger Woods a big semicolon guy?

Does Tiger need help writing? Editing? Picking out photos? Anything?

 

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]]> https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/rickie-fowlers-beach-wedding-cardi-bs-tiger-woods-reversal-and-a-big-week-for-wags/feed/ 0 Lanto Griffin: From Broke To The PGA Tour In Five Months https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/lanto-griffin-from-broke-to-the-pga-tour-in-five-months/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/lanto-griffin-from-broke-to-the-pga-tour-in-five-months/#respond Mon, 14 Oct 2019 01:28:17 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=29847 Photos by Walter Iooss Jr. With Max Adler Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the June 2018 issue of Golf Digest. UNLESS YOU FOLLOW THE PGA TOUR CLOSELY, YOU PROBABLY HAVEN’T HEARD OF ME. My best finish is a T-12 early into my rookie season on the PGA Tour. I got my card by […]

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]]> Photos by Walter Iooss Jr.

With Max Adler
Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the June 2018 issue of Golf Digest.

UNLESS YOU FOLLOW THE PGA TOUR CLOSELY, YOU PROBABLY HAVEN’T HEARD OF ME. My best finish is a T-12 early into my rookie season on the PGA Tour. I got my card by finishing 22nd on the Web.com Tour in October 2017. Five months earlier, I’d made $4,800 through 10 events and was thinking about quitting for what must’ve been the 40th time.

● ● ●

I WAS BORN IN CALIFORNIA IN 1988. But I grew up in Blacksburg, Va. Our parents were hippies. My brother, sisters and I were raised strict vegetarian, and my dad would rather hang out with us than go to his job managing a health-food store. My siblings had their interests, but I loved sports. Dad coached some of my baseball and soccer teams. We didn’t have much money, but we had a great life.

● ● ●

I GOT A SET OF CLUBS FOR CHRISTMAS WHEN I WAS 8. Dad nor any of our relatives had ever played. The city municipal was less than a mile from our house, and I could go around all day for $9. “The Hill” was 2,700 yards. In time, I shot a few 68s that were probably more like 78s. You know how kids can be with mulligans.

● ● ●

THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE CAME THE SUMMER I WAS 12. My best friend’s mom pulled me out of 4-H camp and drove me to the hospital. Dad had a huge scar on his head where they’d removed a brain tumour. He’d been sick for a while. Mom knew, but we thought it was just a cold.

● ● ●

DAD CAME HOME, TOLD US HE WAS GOING TO BE FINE, AND SLOWLY WE WATCHED HIM STRIPPED OF HIS INDEPENDENCE. His body and mind failed him. We got a call from the health-food store when he backed his car into a pole in the parking lot. With my mom preparing to start work as an elementary-school teacher, on top of all else, I couldn’t ask her for rides to sports. So I fell deep into golf. I could walk to the course and didn’t need anyone.

● ● ●

ON A DAY HE WAS ABLE, MY DAD TOOK ME TO SEE STEVE PRATER, THEN THE HEAD PRO AT BLACKSBURG COUNTRY CLUB, FOR A LESSON.The day my dad died, in our home, Steve called to tell me I was getting an honorary membership to Blacksburg Country Club. Which to me, at that time, felt like Augusta National.

● ● ●

STEVE’S SON AND I BECAME BEST FRIENDS. I’d sleep at their house, and we’d ride with his dad to the club in the morning. I was sad, but golf was a reason not to feel sorry for myself.

● ● ●

I PLAYED FOUR YEARS AT VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY. My first pro event was on the Hooters Winter Series. I shot 71-66-75 to earn $975. Except for the $950 entry fee, it felt like the coolest thing ever. In the last round, I was paired with Will Wilcox. He’d get to the tour faster, but we stayed close.

● ● ●

I PLAYED A FEW SEASONS IN SOUTH AMERICA, WHICH WAS A LOT OF FUN. But there comes a point when you don’t want to go back. I had $30,000 on credit cards, and my mom was paying my health insurance. The generous members from Blacksburg Country Club didn’t ask me to repay the money they’d invested in me. I was 28, and it was hard telling girls I lived at home half the year. I’d work all week to come out $3,000 further in debt and wonder, What kind of job is it that I have?

● ● ●

AT ONE POINT, THE BIGGEST CHECK OF MY CAREER WAS $17,000 I MADE CADDIEING. This was for Wilcox when he finished tied for fourth at The Greenbrier Classic. A friend of our family, Stuart Swanson, a successful realtor who has been a second father to me as much as Prater, owned a cabin there. So Wilcox’s regular caddie took the week off, and I took a break from missing cuts.

“My parents were hippies. None of us played golf.”

INSIDE THE ROPES ON THE PGA TOUR IS AN EXPERIENCE. But the revelation was seeing Wilcox stroll to the course 35 minutes before his tee time and barely hit balls afterward. I’d been planting myself at courses two hours before and after, grinding. That Sunday night, I drove to a Virginia State Open qualifier. Hadn’t touched a club in a week, but it felt good sitting on a check for the next three months of entry fees. I shot 64.

● ● ●

LET’S JUMP BACK TO WHERE I STARTED THIS STORY. It’s the spring of 2017, and I’ve made $4,800 through 10 events. On a long car drive I call my agent to tell him I’m quitting. He says I should talk to this sport psychologist, Dr. Greg Cartin.

● ● ●

SOON AFTER, I SHOOT 65 TO MAKE IT OUT OF U.S. OPEN LOCAL QUALIFYING. At sectionals, I wind up in a playoff for first-alternate against Tom Hoge, who hits it to three feet on the first hole. He goes to Erin Hills and doesn’t get in; I carry that momentum into making my first cut in five events, then go to the Nashville Open. Fate.

● ● ●

I START SUNDAY T-2 BUT SLIP TO T-5 WITH EIGHT HOLES TO GO. There’s a big rain delay, and if the sky doesn’t clear by 6:15, the event will be called and the fourth round canceled. I’m minutes away from a check that will qualify me for the Web.com Tour for next year. Cartin and I are texting like mad. With 23 guys within three shots of the lead, I’m worried about how many places I could drop. His message is, “Thoughts aren’t real. Dwelling on what could happen is futile.” I’m sure that sounds simplistic, but it isn’t when you’ve lived years with numbers incessantly running through your dome. We go back out. I try to “embrace the opportunity” per doctor’s orders, and win the event and $99,000.

● ● ●

MY LIFE HAS CHANGED A LOT IN A SHORT TIME. I’ve now got my own place in Ponte Vedra Beach, a girlfriend, and I play TPC Sawgrass whenever I want. I can even afford to fly my mom to come watch me play events.

● ● ●

I WISH MY DAD COULD WATCH JUST ONE. We’d have an adult conversation and beverage after the round. My goal is to win out here, but even if I don’t last, I know he’d be proud.

BEST GOLF TIP I’VE HEARD If you’re going to miss a green, miss to the side where you can chip back into the wind for more control. Billy Horschel, who’s been a mentor, shared that wisdom with me. Of course, he said it right before we played the 17th hole at pga national, which is a par 3 with water in front of the green. And the wind was blowing hard against us. That’s Billy being Billy.

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]]> https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/lanto-griffin-from-broke-to-the-pga-tour-in-five-months/feed/ 0 Lanto Griffin claims first PGA Tour victory with final-round 69 at the Houston Open https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/lanto-griffin-claims-first-pga-tour-victory-with-final-round-69-at-the-houston-open/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/lanto-griffin-claims-first-pga-tour-victory-with-final-round-69-at-the-houston-open/#respond Mon, 14 Oct 2019 01:20:36 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=29844 It was only his 33rd start on the PGA Tour, but Lanto Griffin’s road to his first win on Sunday at the Houston Open took much longer than that.

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]]> By Christopher Powers
It was only his 33rd start on the PGA Tour, but Lanto Griffin’s road to his first win on Sunday at the Houston Open took much longer than that. That’s why he couldn’t help but break down, bury his head in his caddie’s arms and cry tears of joy after the final putt had dropped.

Griffin credited his good friend Willy Wilcox, among others, for helping him get to this point.

“Just my entire team, but Willy was huge, I learned so much on the mindset that you don’t have to win,” said Griffin, who caddied for Wilcox five years ago while he was still finding his way as a professional. “If you put all the pressure on yourself to win, that can backfire.”

Griffin began the day with a one-shot lead and ended it with a one-shot lead, shooting a three-under 69 at the Golf Club of Houston to edge out Mark Hubbard. His gutsiest moment of the day came at the final hole, where he intentionally played away from the water and drove it into the right rough, then found the green and two-putted from 60 feet to secure the victory.

“I felt eerily calm, I really did. I wasn’t that nervous. Where I hit it [on 18] was pretty much dead center of the fairway for me, I’m pretty good out of the rough and I just knew if I make bogey I have a job next year, and I just wasn’t going to put the water in play. I knew the angle to this pin was fine. I’m just so relieved it’s over.

“I played really solid, proud of the way I hung in there. I just felt calm, I don’t know why, but, it’s pretty surreal.”

What’s really surreal is Griffin’s start to the 2019-’20 season. He’s started in five events, finishing T-18 or better in all of them. With the win, he’ll take home $1,350,000, giving him well over $1.8 million in earnings already this season.

Tying for second with Hubbard was Scott Harrington, whose feel-good story came to light this past summer as he contended at the Korn Ferry Tour’s regular-season finale.

 

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]]> https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/lanto-griffin-claims-first-pga-tour-victory-with-final-round-69-at-the-houston-open/feed/ 0 Lanto Griffin bogeys the last but still shoots 65 to take the 54-hole lead at the Houston Open https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/lanto-griffin-bogeys-the-last-but-still-shoots-65-to-take-the-54-hole-lead-at-the-houston-open/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/lanto-griffin-bogeys-the-last-but-still-shoots-65-to-take-the-54-hole-lead-at-the-houston-open/#respond Sun, 13 Oct 2019 04:26:00 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=29801 Lanto Griffin made two bogeys in his round on Saturday at the Houston Open, each one coming on the final holes of the front and back nine.

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]]> By Christopher Powers
Lanto Griffin made two bogeys in his round on Saturday at the Houston Open, each one coming on the final holes of the front and back nine. But what he did before making those bogeys was good enough to propel him into the lead. He went 34-31, finishing with a seven-under 65, which matches the low round of the tournament.

Griffin, a two-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour, is at 11-under 205, one clear of Mark Hubbard. His only full season on the PGA Tour in 2018 was a struggle, as the 31-year-old missed the cut in 13 of his 26 starts and finished the year with $358,380 in earnings. He’s already eclipsed that four starts into the 2019-’20 season, finishing T-18 or better in each event. Barring a disastrous final round he’ll do that again this week, and he could even claim his first tour victory. Any finish inside the top 10 would be the best of his career on tour.

Beau Hossler, who lost the 2018 Houston Open in a playoff against Ian Poulter, shot a four-under 68 on Saturday. He’s at nine-under 207 for the week, tied for fourth with Cameron Tringale.

 

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]]> https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/lanto-griffin-bogeys-the-last-but-still-shoots-65-to-take-the-54-hole-lead-at-the-houston-open/feed/ 0