The U.S. Ryder Cup team (except Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau) played the Procore Championship in preparation for their quest to win back the cup in two weeks at Bethpage Black. 

First, though, there was another trophy to be had in Napa Valley. 

And in the final round, two U.S. teammates—Scottie Scheffler and Ben Griffin—thrillingly dueled for the victory. But in the end, Scheffler, the world No. 1, wouldn’t be denied. 

He finished at 19 under par with a final-round 67 for a one-stroke victory over Griffin. 

MORE: Final results, payouts from the Procore Championship

Entering the final round, Scheffler trailed Griffin by two strokes. However, by his 72nd hole, the four-time major winner led by one. Playing in the penultimate group, Scheffler hit his tee shot on the par-5 18th into the fairway bunker en route to a par, missing a 17-footer for birdie. 

That gave an opening for Griffin, a two-time Tour winner this year, to force a playoff—or even snatch the win in regulation. Smashing his drive in the middle of the fairway, 250 yards from the hole, he knocked his second shot to 60 feet and left his eagle attempt 6 feet short. Then, his birdie putt burned the left side of the cup without dropping, handing Scheffler his 19th PGA Tour title. 

“I was trying to make eagle, putt was just a little slower than I expected,” Griffin said after a final-round 70. “I don’t know if I hit my line on the last, but I looked up and it looked like it was breaking pretty good to the left and I tried to play it straighter to right center. It’s tough late in the day. Again, I said it yesterday, late in the day on poa annua greens, you’re just trying to put a good stroke on it and see what happens.”

Including Scheffler and Griffin, five U.S. Ryder Cuppers finished in the top 20 at Silverado North, and all 10 made the cut. 

Scheffler played alongside amateur Jackson Koivun, a junior at Auburn University who earned his PGA Tour card earlier this year, but will stay in school. He earned a spot in the field by finishing T5 at the Wyndham Championship (the Tour’s regular season finale) last month. With a T4 at the Procore, the 20-year-old secured a tee time at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October.

Typically, a PGA Tour fall series event wouldn’t attract such an illustrious field. The FedEx Fall is for players outside the top 50 in FedEx Cup points to either earn spots in two signature events next season, retain their full status via the top 100 in FedEx Cup points, or claim conditional status by finishing in the top 125. 

Lanto Griffin was one of them. Plagued by injuries the last several years, the 37-year-old has posted only one top 10 in 25 starts this year and entered this week ranked No. 142 in FedEx Cup points. Now, after a final-round 7-under 65, which yielded a third-place finish in Napa, he’s projected to move to No. 109 with six more tournaments this fall. 

In tears during his post-round interview on Golf Channel, there was one thing that was preventing him from a full celebration.

“I kind of wish Scottie wasn’t here,” he said.


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Scottie Scheffler Edges Ryder Cup Teammate Ben Griffin for Procore Championship Title.

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