November 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n2025-11-09T20:49:31.353Z<\/p>\n
NOT QUITE FOR HIGGO<\/p>\n
Garrick Higgo has a long birdie putt to take the solo lead at the 11th. It drifts right, but he shows good speed control to make his par putt more or less a formality. In it goes and he remains tied for the lead with Ben Griffin and Carson Young.<\/p>\n
He’s looking for his second win this year after taking the title at the Corales Puntacana Championship, but with a leaderboard as tight as this, it’s still pretty much wide open at this stage.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T20:53:02.352Z<\/p>\n
TIGHT AT THE TOP<\/p>\n
I alluded to the tight situation we have on the leaderboard in the previous post. How tight? There are currently three shots between the top nine, with Trevor Cone the latest to make a move. He’s now two back in solo fourth after a birdie at the 11th.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T20:53:46.327Z<\/p>\n
Ben Griffin puts daylight<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T20:58:28.853Z<\/p>\n
ALL CHANGE AT THE TOP<\/p>\n
Ben Griffin makes a birdie at the 12th to move to 27-under and take the solo lead. Almost immediately afterwards, one of the two in second, Garrick Higgo, takes his tee shot at the same hole, but only finds a shrub to the right of the fairway. Suddenly, there’s a sense that the next few minutes could have a big say in his chances of a third PGA Tour title.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T21:10:52.169Z<\/p>\n
TROUBLE FOR GARRICK<\/p>\n
Higgo takes a drop, and he won’t be thrilled with that as the ball rolls back down towards the brush he’d just taken his ball from. Talk about a bad break.<\/p>\n
Now, deep in consultation with a match official, he’s contemplating another drop – and how his stance will take shape among the brush.<\/p>\n
After much deliberation and redrops, Higgo is finally ready to take his third from a far from ideal position, and… it sails well left of the fairway, albeit in the rough rather than the penalty area.<\/p>\n
It’s looking like a costly hole for the South African.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T21:17:52.680Z<\/p>\n
YOUNG JOINS GRIFFIN AS HIGGO FALLS BACK<\/p>\n
While Higgo prepares a bogey putt at the 12th, Carson Young makes a birdie to join Ben Griffin at the top of the leaderboard. Higgo, meanwhile, fails to make his bogey, and settles for a costly double instead.<\/p>\n
Higgo is now three shots back having shared the lead not long ago.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T21:27:44.376Z<\/p>\n
WAYWARD FROM YOUNG<\/p>\n
Carson Young had 165 yards into the par-4 13th and he was right in the middle of the fairway. However, his second shot – which was pulled – was woeful and has bundled into the bushy grass just off the course. That could be a drop for Young now. Is there something in the air in Mexico today?!<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T21:29:22.075Z<\/p>\n
HO-HUM PAR<\/p>\n
It’s not a dropped shot in terms of the course, but Ben Griffin has only made par at the par-5 14th thanks to a duffed chip and he will remain on 27-under. However, with Young in trouble on the hole behind, par might not be the worst result…<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T21:34:28.265Z<\/p>\n
TRY AGAIN<\/p>\n
It’s not a drop for Young, but he has no real swing available to him from the dirt with a bush right behind him. Young’s third shot hardly goes anywhere after crossing the path and tumbles back into the dirt. He’s allowed a free drop as the ball came to rest right against the cart path. However, when the young American did drop his golf ball, it plugged into the sand on which he is stood.<\/p>\n
But that is sublime! Young produces what is effectively a world-class bunker shot to leave his ball a few feet away. This should be a fantastic bogey, and you don’t get many of them.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T21:36:08.713Z<\/p>\n
PUNCHED IN<\/p>\n
What a confident putt from Young. The 30-year-old drains his bogey putt and walks off to the 14th only trailing by one. Meanwhile, Higgo had to settle for par and remains three behind Griffin.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T21:44:35.398Z<\/p>\n
LEADER PLAYS IT SAFE<\/p>\n
At the par-4 15th, Griffin bails out from the middle of the fairway and will have a tricky 25-foot putt for birdie in front of him. The tricky thing about that shot is that if you miss left, it’s big trouble. So players – especially those in the lead – are likely to err on the side of caution.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T21:49:27.552Z<\/p>\n
TIGHTENING UP<\/p>\n
It does feel like it’s getting a little tense out there. Griffin faces a tricky 2-3 feet putt for par at the 15th while Valimaki can’t pile the pressure on behind him.<\/p>\n
A hole behind, the par-5, Young give himself a chance to get up and down for birdie from 30 yards out. But the chip is really quite tentative and that’s certainly no gimme.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T21:51:51.176Z<\/p>\n
CONE MELTS<\/p>\n
Looking for a win to keep his card, Trevor Cone looks for all money to have made eagle at the 14th from off the green. But somehow it just burns the edge and stays up. He’s into a tie for third, though.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T21:55:14.052Z<\/p>\n
NO GAIN<\/p>\n
Young drives a lovely looking putt towards the hole at the par-5 14th, but it rattles into the side of the hole and continues on its way. He makes par anyway.<\/p>\n
In the same group, Higgo repairs some of the damage he suffered at the 12th by making birdie at the 14th. Maybe his chance isn’t gone just yet…<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T21:58:58.309Z<\/p>\n
WORLD CLASS<\/p>\n
Ben Griffin moves two ahead via a wonderful long-range putt at the par-3 16th. He must have been 25 feet away, and it drifted in beautifully from the right before dropping in the right edge. Griffin two clear as Valimaki joins Young in T2nd courtesy of his own wonderful birdie putt.<\/p>\n
Ben Griffin. Extending the lead to 2 \ud83d\udd25 pic.twitter.com\/feM2aEa6q0November 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n2025-11-09T22:07:17.565Z<\/p>\n
PLAY IT SAFE<\/p>\n
Griffin takes out a wood of some kind to find the centre of the vast fairway on the par-4 17th. He’ll only have a flick left in.<\/p>\n
This hole has been a green-light special today, and a three here would go a long way to icing the championship.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T22:12:11.322Z<\/p>\n
YOUNG STUMBLES<\/p>\n
Carson Young might well be done for the week. At the par-4 15th, he three-putts from not that far out and he’ll drop a shot. He’s back to 25-under with three holes left.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T22:18:11.741Z<\/p>\n
BYE BYE BIRDIES<\/p>\n
Considering the number of birdies that were falling earlier in this back nine, it feels like there have hardly been any as we reach the sharp end of this tournament. Griffin almost shuts the door on everyone at the 17th but can’t manage it. Neither can Valimaki, who could have edged to within one going down the last.<\/p>\n
Chad Ramey, however, does make a gain via an excellent approach and birdie putt and is now into a share of second. A result which, if it were locked in, would take him inside the top-100 on the FedEx Cup rankings…<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T22:28:02.283Z<\/p>\n
RODGERS MAKES A JUMP<\/p>\n
As the top-10 begins to settle down with players reaching the 18th, Patrick Rodgers moves up from T8th to T4th thanks to a closing birdie. The group in T4th is growing all the time. Five players on 25-under now.<\/p>\n
Nick Dunlap can’t quite join them, but that will be his second top-10 of the year. Better late than never, I suppose.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T22:32:23.731Z<\/p>\n
GRIFFIN SHOWS HIS CLASS<\/p>\n
Taking out 3-wood, Griffin rifles his golf ball onto the front edge of the dancefloor and watches it skip around to the right a little. He has a legitimate chance of eagle now and should gain one stroke at the very least.<\/p>\n
Following on, Cone and Valimaki are also on the green in two, but they’re much further away and will be very happy with a two-putt birdie.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T22:38:03.345Z<\/p>\n
HISTORY AWAITS<\/p>\n
Per the TV broadcast, should Griffin make this eagle putt, he would be only the 11th player to reach 30-under on the PGA Tour since 1983.<\/p>\n
While that would be cool, I dare say Griffin would snap your hand off for a two-putt.<\/p>\n
2025-11-09T22:42:56.604Z<\/p>\n
GRIFFIN POSTS 29-UNDER<\/p>\n
So, history will have to wait for Griffin in terms of reaching 30-under, but the Ryder Cup star signs for a closing nine-under 63 and – barring an albatross – that will be win number three on the year!<\/p>\n