How many hours of shut-eye did tour pros get on the eve of the hardest U.S. Open in over a decade? You’d have to ask them, but from the looks of things, Ben Griffin slept like a baby. On the night before his U.S. Open debut, the recent Zurich Classic and Charles Schwab Challenge champ wasn’t pacing back and forth in his hotel room or raiding the mini-bar for a nerve-calming night cap. Instead he was goofing around, prank calling his caddie and trainer as part of the now-viral “good night” trend. Check it out.
@bengriffingolf goodnight boys big day tomorrow #usopen #pga #golf #oakmont #goodnight ♬ original sound – Ben Griffin
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Just guys being dudes, you love to see it. Both Griffin’s caddie Alex Ritthamel and trainer Derek Smidt are clearly used to these antics from their pro. Ritthamel was immediately wise to the prank, saying, “OK weirdo, I’ve seen that thing,” while Smidt played along beautifully.
“Whatcha doing?” Griffin asked.
“Nothing, just sitting in bed,” Smidt replied.
“Perfect, I just wanted to call and wish you goodnight,” Griffin said.
“Oh thanks, baby,” Smidt fired back, “good night!”
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Honestly, it’s great to see these guys staying loose. Griffin has played the best golf of his life so far in 2025. He ranks in the top 5 in FedEx Cup points and has climbed to 15th in world rankings heading into Oakmont. If this kind of tomfoolery has helped him achieve those results, then we’re all for it. Should Griffin be at or near the top of leaderboard come Saturday night, however, something tell us there will be a lot less joking around.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
