'You Can Get To $17,000 Of Debt In A Month Easily' - Ben Griffin Details Financial Struggles Of Mini Tour Golf

Ben Griffin is firmly established as one of the world’s best golfers, but his route to the top has given him first-hand experience of the financial challenges facing many pros.

After a promising start to his professional career, Griffin struggled to establish himself on the PGA Tour Canada, the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and the Korn Ferry Tour.

In 2021, he decided to walk away from the game to become a loan officer for a mortgage group, and at the time, he had accumulated significant credit card debt.

He returned to the game later that year, and the rest is history, with Griffin winning three times on the PGA Tour and playing for the US in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

However, speaking exclusively to Golf Monthly, he explained how costs can soon accumulate for players attempting to work their way through the system.

“I was honestly $20,000 in debt by the time I returned to the Korn Ferry Tour,” revealed Griffin.

At the 2025 BMW Championship, Griffin went into more detail about the period before he decided to quit, explaining that he was playing on mini tours and revealing: “I wasn't making any money. I had to step away and try something new just to pay rent.”

Griffin told Golf Monthly just how quickly those costs can leave players in significant debt.

He said: “On the mini tours you're betting on yourself. That's what you have to do in golf, unlike other sports.

“Just trying to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour, you have to pay $5,000 or more in entry fees, travel costs are high, a lot of guys couch surf when they can, and on top of that you have to pay for practice rounds and cart fees, rental cars and meals.

“You can get to $17,000 of debt in a month easily. It's very common on the mini tours.”

Nowadays, those concerns are a thing of the past for Griffin, who has more than $22m in PGA Tour career earnings, but he still reflects on the period when he walked away from the game entirely.

Griffin, who got through qualifying to return to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022, added: “In golf, things can change fast. You have to back yourself early on, and coming out of college I don't necessarily think I had the belief.”

Helping him establish himself financially was sponsor Doug Sieg, who is the managing partner and CEO of private investment management company Lord Abbett.

“When I decided to go back on tour, I had the support of Doug Sieg and Lord Abbett financially, to get rid of that debt.

“Doug is the reason I was able to get rid of those financial pressures and focus on playing, and to think about winning every time I teed it up. I play my best golf when I am freed up and loose and having fun, and most people say the same.”

Having experienced financial pressure, Griffin believes removing some of them could also help players perform at their best.

He explained: “Some people say that playing under pressure is a privilege, but how about we eliminate some of those pressures?

"That is something I work on mentally. I am going to pull off some pretty good shots if those pressures are not there, and if golf feels like it did when I was a kid.

"It has been a crazy journey and I have seen it all, and that has allowed me to have the perspective that I do today.”

In 2025, Griffin appeared to play without any of that pressure, claiming all three of his PGA Tour titles in a spell of a little over six months, while also winning a point for the US in the Ryder Cup.

Despite that remarkable breakthrough season, though, Griffin is refusing to get carried away.

“I am trying to let things happen, and want to continue to build,” he said.

“It's not like I am even sitting back and thinking about how cool it was last year; I am not thinking about it as a year, but I am looking at my career as a whole journey, and I am only just getting started. And I am going to continue to try to win."

A title hasn't come Griffin's way in 2026, while he also missed out on a place in the US Presidents Cup team, but he is realistic about the ups and downs that come as a professional golfer.

“There are so many peaks and valleys in this game and you don't know when they're going to come," he said. "I'd say I am really good at trusting the process and not letting the down times get to me too much.

"I'll just continue to get more and more experience and I know that my game can compete against the best. There's no reason why I can't do it in the Majors. It's just a matter of keeping on getting the reps in.”

Given where Griffin's journey began, few would bet against him reaching another peak before too long.

Ben Griffin PGA Tour Career Earnings