PGA Tour golfer Ben Griffin won his first two PGA Tour titles earlier this year and is having a fantastic season. However, his ordeal on Sunday is making all the headlines, and it may have cost him a spot on the prestigious U.S. Ryder Cup team.
How poorly did Ben Griffin’s round start?
Griffin was hoping to shoot a low score in the final round of the BMW Championship to automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup; instead, his round got off to a terrible start because he said he swallowed what he described as a “rock” of the supplement creatine.
Griffin had taken the supplement on the course before, but this time it didn’t go as planned. A video circulating on social media shows his jittery putting on the first hole. Griffin said the shaking started quickly, and he was confused as to why.
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“I started taking it after my second shot, and I accidentally swallowed one of the big rocks in my water bottle,” Griffin said. “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 was freaking out and didn’t know what to do. Like, I hit it so far out of bounds.
How did Griffin recover?
Griffin was six over par after the first three holes and considered withdrawing from the tournament until his physical symptoms started to subside with some help from his caddy.
“Luckily, my caddie stepped in and made me chug a whole water, and I tried to calm down a little bit,” Griffin said. “I hit the second shot 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 I felt good, so I went about my day and got it back to under par.”
Why do golfers take creatine?
Creatine is a popular supplement for many professional athletes, including those on the PGA Tour. Griffin said he takes 15 mg of creatine daily, and Masters champion Rory McIlroy has also talked about its benefits. It’s produced by the body naturally and is not a banned substance.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says the supplement can help with “short bursts” of energy and workout recovery. Studies also suggest it can also improve brain health and reduce mental fatigue. The benefits, however, are dependent on the correct usage and the right training. Griffin said he learned that lesson the hard way.
“I was actually very confident going into the round, and it just kind of happened, and it was unfortunate, but yeah, it was a weird feeling,” Griffin said. “I got to the third tee box and said, well, I’m fine, let’s just pretend that didn’t happen.”
Will he continue to take creatine?
The 29-year-old from North Carolina said he was proud of his turnaround Sunday. He had seven birdies in the last 15 holes to finish his round under par. He said he’ll continue to take creatine in the future, just a little more carefully.
This weekend, he’ll play in the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. He’s hoping he plays well enough that fellow tour pro Keegan Bradley sees fit to make him a Ryder Cup captain’s pick.
