From losing home to retiring from golf, Ben Griffin now a contender at Muirfield

DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) -- Day two of the Memorial Tournament saw golfers chasing Ben Griffin, who led the field after 18 holes after going 7-under in the opening round. But the relative unknown is making a splash on the PGA Tour and he's got quite the story to tell.

Prior to this year, he had never won on the PGA Tour. But now he's got two career victories under his belt. His second came just last week at the Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas. The 29-year-old's journey to the Memorial is one of perseverance through some tough times.

"My parents did so much for me growing up," Griffin said. "They got hit hard by the recession, the 2008 recession."

Griffin recalled the family's struggles during his press conference after last weekend's win.

"I knew there for a little bit when we lost our house, when we lost everything," Griffin said. "I know they sacrificed a lot for me."

This week, Griffin credited his mom and dad for keeping him in the sport.

"My parents were always there growing up, junior golf, making sure I had the access to continue to play golf, even when we had really difficult times," Griffin said. "I don't know what my parents bank accounts look like, but I can't imagine there was a comma, you know. We lost a lot."

Wins were hard to come by for the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, native. Three years after turning pro in 2018, he stepped away from the sport to work as a loan officer before eventually returning, making his way back through the Korn Ferry Tour.

"I've had several different people in terms of sponsors and others that have gotten me back to golf," Griffin said. "There's a lot of support that I had had from those guys to get me mentally in a place where I felt like I was really good at golf, and also had some financial help from some of those people to get me back to golf, paying for my Q-School."

Now, Griffin looks to win the Memorial for the first time ever after missing the cut back-to-back years.

"I think physically I'm in a way better place right now, both with my golf swing and body-wise," Griffin said. "I'm stronger."