Chapel Hill’s Ben Griffin is a pro in more ways than one.

I’ve watched Ben Griffin play golf around town since he was a peanut-sized high school freshman with a herky-jerky swing. But no matter the age or size, Griffin could bomb the golf ball. Then he grew up in several ways, smoothed out his swing and signed to play for his hometown college team.

Griffin steadily improved as a Tar Heel, twice earning All-ACC honors and playing well in the post-season events. Upon his graduation last May, there was no doubt what the now six-foot-one Ben was going to do: pursue his lifetime dream of playing professional golf.

He chose the Canadian PGA and qualified for a spot on the McKenzie Tour, and here we are: barely into the summer golf season and Griffin has already won his first tournament with a remarkable four rounds.

His 68-68-66-64 for a four-day total of 266 won the Staal Foundation Open in Thunder Bay, Ontario, as his birdie on the 72nd hole Sunday gave him the victory by one stroke. He actually birdied the last three holes of the tourney to complete the final 36 holes in 14 under par and 22 under overall.

Now, just like Griffin, this is no small thing. Sure, Canada’s PGA Tour is not what it is in this country, but consider two-time U.S. Open Champion Brooks Koepka played on the European tour for several years to hone his game, add strength to his body and distance to his tee ball, while getting tough enough to win on courses and in front of galleries he had never seen before.

Whatever Griffin’s planned path to the American PGA Tour, his start in Canada was seemingly well thought-out. After all, there is little language barrier up there, and it is in the Eastern Hemisphere, so getting back to Chapel Hill and see his family whenever he needs to is no big problem.

From the leaderboard at Thunder Bay, it looked like other Americans chose the same course. If Griffin can consistently finish in the money up there, it will give him the confidence and improvement to go to Q School in this country and get his tour playing card.

This was Griffin’s sixth McKenzie Tour event, and his previous best finish with fourth. So, after four years at Carolina, it looks like Little-Big Ben has picked another smart career path.

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