Ben Griffin has given everything he has to qualify for The Masters Tournament 2025. So much so that he hasn’t taken a week off since the start of the season at the Sony Open in Hawaii. But he has yet to achieve his goal.
The 28-year-old finished tied for 18th at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, which moved him up to World No. 51. Less than a point separated him from the top 50, a list that qualified for the Masters and that is closed by Michael Kim.
The Houston Open ended the qualifying period for the Masters via the world rankings. Griffin’s options are now very limited, and he knows it.
“Thank you everyone for the kind messages after yesterday’s round” Griffin posted on X. “Unfortunately the media was a bit misleading about a top 28 qualifying me for The Masters. I played my best and moved to 51 in the OWGR, fractionally missing. Off to week 13 in a row! Time to win in San Antonio.”
Thank you everyone for the kind messages after yesterday’s round. Unfortunately the media was a bit misleading about a top 28 qualifying me for The Masters. I played my best and moved to 51 in the OWGR, fractionally missing. Off to week 13 in a row! Time to win in San Antonio 🤠
— Ben Griffin (@bengriffingolf) March 31, 2025
The Valero Texas Open, being played this week at TPC San Antonio, is virtually the last chance for Griffin and any other player who still has aspirations of playing in The Masters a week later. The winner will receive the last direct ticket to Augusta National.
Of course, there is also the possibility that the organizers will give Griffin a special last-minute invitation based on his world ranking. But the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, native isn’t putting all his eggs in that basket.
Ben Griffin has never won in 88 starts on the PGA Tour. His previous experience at the Valero Texas Open (two appearances) is not particularly noteworthy, as he missed the cut in 2023 and tied for 39th in 2024.
Getty Images/Jonathan Bachman
However, the 2025 season has been a good one for him considering how much he has played. He has missed the cut just three times in 12 starts, with three top-10s, including two fourth-place finishes.
He also had a pretty busy season last year. He played 35 tournaments and made 25 cuts, with five top 10s, including a runner-up finish at the RBC Canadian Open.
Griffin arrives at TPC San Antonio off a T18 finish at the Houston Open, which moved him up to 51st in the world rankings. He fell only 0.0098 points behind Michael Kim, who edged him out with a T32 at Memorial Park. Both players moved up two spots from the previous week.
Griffin has never played in The Masters. In just four major starts, he has missed three cuts and withdrew from the 2024 PGA Championship.
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