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Lanto Griffin on overcoming financial troubles, battling chipping yips, and planning for his first Masters

October 22, 2019
Houston Open - Final Round

Sam Greenwood

Lanto Griffin going from being broke to playing on the PGA Tour in a matter of months is a remarkable story. But his leap from playing on the PGA Tour again to being a PGA Tour winner in a matter of weeks is even more amazing.

Following a T-7 at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in September, it appeared on paper that Griffin was entering his second stint in the bigs with Big Mo on his side. However, Griffin had developed the chipping yips during a final-round 74 that dropped him down the leader board.

"There's no lower feeling than having a chip and feeling like you're not going to be able to make contact with a camera on you and the tournament on the line," Griffin told Golf Digest. "But I think it was a blessing in disguise. Really made me buckle down and focus on my short game."

For three consecutive days ahead of the PGA Tour's 2019-'20 season opener at The Greenbrier, Griffin worked solely on his short game. And whatever he did worked. Starting that week, Griffin began a string of five consecutive starts finishing inside the top 20, culminating with his Houston Open victory earlier that month. Suddenly, the chipping yips and financial woes were way in the past as the 31-year-old collected a winner's check for $1.35 million and earned serious job security for the first time in his life.

Fresh off that life-changing win, Griffin joined the Golf Digest Podcast to discuss how he handled his nerves down the stretch in Houston, being raised as a vegetarian, the origins of his interesting first name, and his thoughts about playing in his first Masters next year. Plus, Daniel Rapaport reports on The Challenge: Japan Skins from Tokyo, and Alex Myers, Sam Weinman, and Stephen Hennessey talk about Justin Thomas' latest win and the latest in the Brooks Koepka-Rory McIlroy "rivalry." Please have a listen: