At the 2024 BMW Championship, Ben Griffin delivered an extraordinary comeback in the final round despite a daunting start that threatened to derail his entire day. The 29-year-old golfer faced a severe challenge early on, starting with multiple over-par holes that tested his resolve before mounting a strong recovery that highlighted his grit and focus.
Early Round Struggles Marked by Unusual Health Incident
Griffin’s day began with a triple bogey on the opening hole, quickly followed by a double bogey on the second, caused by a tee shot that went out of bounds. A subsequent bogey left him six over par through just three holes, a difficult position for any player in a fiercely competitive tournament. The unusual cause of his troubles was an accidental creatine overdose—something Griffin himself explained after the round.
He described his experience in his own words:
“It’s kind of an interesting story. So I take creatine as a supplement, and this among I didn’t take it until I basically tee’d off on [the first hole]. I was at the end of my batch. I had basically a snowball of creatine, so had been in my bucket for a month, and broke it up and put in any water bottle. I’m all good. I’ve taken it on the golf course before. It’s fine. I started taking it after my second shot and I accidentally swallowed one of the big rocks in my water bottle.”
—Ben Griffin, Professional Golfer
He continued by describing how this mistake affected his body and his game:
“I’ve never overdosed on creatine before, but I think I did in the moment because I didn’t really drink any water after that. I basically just inhaled a snowball. So I started getting super shaky. I’ve never felt like that before and I felt like I had tremors. I four-putted [No.] 1 and on [No.] 2, I like was freaking out and didn’t know what to do. Like, I hit it so far out of bounds.”
—Ben Griffin, Professional Golfer
Support from Caddie Helps Regain Control and Confidence
Fortunately, Griffin’s caddie recognized the severity of the situation and took immediate action to stabilize the player.
“Luckily, my caddie stepped in and made me chug a whole water and I tried to calm down a little bit,”
Griffin recalled.
“I hit the other one in play, and then I was fine. I ended up making, whatever, a double on that hole and bogeyed the next hole. It was probably more just a little bit flustered. I was fine after the second shot on two. And then it was—I felt good, so I went about my day and got it back to under par.”
—Ben Griffin, Professional Golfer
This intervention allowed Griffin to settle into his rhythm, turning around what looked like a disastrous opening few holes.
Remarkable Recovery Puts Griffin Among the Top Finishers
After regaining his composure, Griffin stormed back onto the leaderboard with three consecutive birdies on holes 7, 8, and 9. He then followed up with four more birdies on the back nine, helping him finish the round with a one-under 69. This performance moved him from a challenging position into a tie for 12th place overall, an improvement of four spots from his standing at the start of the day.
Griffin Reflects on the Experience and Looks Ahead
Griffin expressed mixed feelings about the unexpected episode, acknowledging the risks of his supplement routine during competition.
“But, yeah, pretty crazy story. I don’t think I’ll be taking too much creatine in the future. I will take it, but not in the amount that I probably did on the golf course, which wasn’t probably a healthy amount.”
—Ben Griffin, Professional Golfer
Despite the rocky start, the world No. 17 took pride in his resilience and ability to recover during high pressure.
“I’m very proud of the way I bounced back,”
Griffin said.
“I told Alex [Griffin’s caddie] on [No.] 4, 5, I’m going to get back to even par and got back to under par. Pretty cool. Pretty proud of myself. Excited to go to the Tour Championship.”
—Ben Griffin, Professional Golfer
His performance guarantees him a place in the upcoming Tour Championship at East Lake, where he will aim to build on this momentum.
The Lasting Impact of an Unusual Final Round Challenge
Ben Griffin’s composure after his creatine overdose demonstrates not only his physical endurance but also his mental toughness under stress. The incident underscores the unexpected variables athletes can face and how quick thinking—both personal and from his caddie—can salvage a competitive round. Griffin’s ability to salvage his score after such an intense physical reaction could inspire peers who encounter sudden adversity during tournaments.
Looking forward, Griffin will likely be more cautious with supplements, especially as he carries this hard-fought confidence into the Tour Championship. His turnaround at the BMW Championship serves as a vivid reminder that recovery in sports often depends on resilience and support, making this episode a memorable chapter in his career.