[PHOTO: Jonathan Bachman]
After coming close to victory on the PGA Tour a couple of times apiece, Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak used their collective talents to finally break through, winning a nail-biter at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Griffin executed the key strokes down the stretch as the two North Carolinians outduelled Jake Knapp and Frankie Capan III on the inward nine at TPC Louisiana and had just enough to hold off Danish twins Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard to win by a stroke. Griffin’s 35-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th hole pushed him and Novak in front alone for the first time since they bogeyed the ninth, and then his tap-in for par at the par-5 home hole sealed their shared maiden win with a 28-under 260 total.
Ranked 56th and 34th in the world, respectively, Griffin and Novak each pocketed $US1.329 million and collected 400 FedEx Cup points apiece after a final-round, one-under 71 in the foursomes format. Novak registered his fourth top-three finish of the season to move into sixth in the FedEx Cup standings. He’s on a roll but needed his friend to seal the win in what was Novak’s 100th tour start.
“I’m really glad I had Ben to guide me through today,” said Novak, 30, who a week prior lost to Justin Thomas in a playoff at the RBC Heritage. “The wheels were coming off. I was having some issues, especially after the weather delay, but he played awesome. We kept it together. That putt on 17 was unbelievable. I’m glad we got it done.”
“I think for both Andrew and I, it felt like it was only a matter of time out here,” said Griffin, 28. “We both put ourselves in the mix a bunch, especially this season, but even going back to last season.”
Griffin and Novak began the day with a three-shot lead, but that was quickly trimmed to one when they bogeyed the opening par-4 hole and the Brothers Hojgaard birdied their first two holes in the modified alternate-shot format. However, birdies at holes two, five and seven restored their lead to three. They faced an 18-foot par putt on the eighth hole when play was suspended due to inclement weather.
The delay was good news for CBS television. Technical difficulties resulting from a power outage prevented the network from airing live coverage when it went on the air at 3pm local time. Golf Channel lost its coverage feed at 2:30pm, forcing it to switch to the PGA Tour Champions.
Play resumed at TPC Louisiana at 5:15, and Novak immediately missed the par attempt at the eighth. Soon after, he missed a three-foot par save at the ninth as part of a three-putt effort by he and Griffin to see their lead slip to one stroke. It was completely gone when Knapp and Capan birdied the 10th thanks to Knapp’s eight-footer.
Paired together, the two teams remained deadlocked until the 167-metre 17th. Having pulled a few shots on previous holes, Capan tugged his tee shot into the water left of the green before Novak struck a draw that ran through the green but stopped short of the penalty area. Griffin then guided in the downhill putt.
WHAT A TIME TO BIRDIE 💪@BenGriffinGolf and @AndrewNovakGolf take the lead on 17!
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/AyNl78UbRI
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 27, 2025
In a light moment, he turned to high-five the player walking behind him, who he believed was Novak when instead it was Capan. He then recovered and pointed at his playing partner.
“Fortunately, we had a little bit of the upper hand there, so I knew we had a good opportunity,” Griffin said of the events that unfolded at 17. “Honestly, that putt I was just trying to lag it up there close. I took a line where I thought I could make it and it fell in.”
Capan and Knapp managed to salvage bogey, but the two-shot swing was a killer. They scratched out a par at the last, while the Hojgaards closed with a birdie to snatch second place at 261 after a 68. Capan and Knapp were next with 70 and 262.
“I think it was a common theme for me on a lot of holes today, just kind of putting Jake in a tough spot a little left,” Capan said. “I felt like we were able to get away with it for most of the day, which was great. But then, yeah, obviously at that important moment kind of pulled one left and, obviously, was happy to get out of the hole with a 4. It was a tough finish. It was a great week.”
Griffin and Novak are the fourth and fifth players to win their first tour titles since the Zurich Classic changed to a two-man team format in 2017. Coincidentally, Novak is the first player to lose a playoff and win the next week since Patrick Cantlay turned the same trick in 2022 at the same two tournaments.
“Coming into this week, I knew I was playing well,” Novak said. “Ben has been playing good golf. This is a perfect golf course for us. There was a lot of confidence coming into this week for sure.”
Defending champions Shane Lowry and new Masters champion Rory McIlroy birdied the final hole for a 72 and 266 total to end up T-12.
