Sanderson Farms Championship: Ben Griffin takes two-shot lead after long eagle putt | Golf News

Ben Griffin put together a round of 63 with an eagle and seven birdies to take a two-shot lead at the Sanderson Farms Championship; watch round three live on Sky Sports Golf this weekend

Ben Griffin leads the Sanderson Farms Championship

Ben Griffin ran up an eagle and seven birdies to take the second-round lead at the Sanderson Farms Championship on Friday in Jackson, Mississippi.

Griffin’s nine-under-par 63 at the Country Club of Jackson – a career-best – propelled him to 14-under 130 for the event.

He leads by two shots over Luke List (66 on Friday), Australia’s Harrison Endycott (65), China’s Carl Yuan (66) and Sweden’s Henrik Norlander (67).

First-round leader Chesson Hadley posted a 69 on Friday and is tied at 11 under with Harry Higgs (64), Troy Merritt (65) and China’s Zecheng Dou (66).

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At the Sanderson Farms Championship, Wesley Bryan fell into a creek and got covered in mud before going on to make par at the par-five 14th!

The highlight of Griffin’s round was a 65-and-a-half-foot eagle putt from just off the green at the par-five 14th hole – it moved him into a tie for the lead, and birdies at Nos. 15 and 17 gave him a good cushion entering the weekend.

“I stepped back off of (his second shot at No. 14) and kind of hit a little bit of a thin 3-wood I would say, but it still chased up there and went all the way to the back of the green from 65, 70 feet,

“I’m just trying to lag it, and it was just a bonus to see it drop. But that’s what has to happen out here when you have those low 60s kind of days.”

The 27-year-old is yet to win on the PGA Tour and earned one top-10 finish in 2022-23. However, he ranked a respectable 66th in the FedEx Cup Fall Standings entering the week and could crack the top 60 with a win.

That would qualify Griffin for two of the tour’s signature events next winter: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.

Griffin says he wants to capitalise on a particular motivating factor for winning a tournament named after a poultry producer.

“I’m primarily vegan. I’m plant-based, so it’s the Sanderson Farms tournament, so it’s kind of a funny one,” Griffin said.

“I just want the headline to say, ‘Vegan wins chicken championship.’ I mean, it’s bad – this is bad.

“But I’ve got to be honest with you guys, that’s kind of a motivator for me – I think it would be kind of funny of a headline if I get it done.”

Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, the only Ryder Cup participant in this week’s field, is tied for 16th at eight under after shooting a 69 on Friday.

The 36-hole cut came at five under par. Sam Bennett (four under), who was the low amateur at this year’s Masters, missed the cut. So did the tournament’s defending champion, Mackenzie Hughes of Canada (four under), and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (one under), who is the highest-ranked player in the field based on world ranking at No 35.

Watch the Sanderson Farms Championship live on Sky Sports Golf this weekend.