Donegal amateur Griffin a big LIV fan: "I thought it was awesome, I really did”
Ryan Griffin. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Donegal amateur Ryan Griffin believes LIV Golf is "awesome" but knows he will have to drive for dough in this week's LIV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi to make his dream come true.
The Maynooth University star (23) joins Royal Dublin amateur Max Kennedy in what is the equivalent of the LIV Golf Qualifying School as the top three finishers after 72 holes will earn spots on megabucks LIV Golf League next season.
"Well, I thought it was awesome, I really did," said Griffin, who like Kennedy, paid the $25 entry fee for the chance of a $200,000 payday and a lucrative LIV spot next year. "It's so much easier to follow because it's on YouTube and YouTube Live. It's fantastic. I thought it was cool, and the team format is also cool.
"The Ryder Cup's one of the biggest things in golf, and because of its team format, that's why I think it's so exciting. LIV obviously also has that team format, which is cool."
Kennedy and Griffin are two of four amateurs in the 79-man field, and they must make the top 20 after the first round and qualify to join 14 exempt players in the second round.
The scores are reset and the top 20 players (after tiebreakers) following round two will then advance to the final day, where scores will reset once more for a 36-hole shootout where the top three finishers will be drafted to a LIV Golf team for next season.
Players who fail to make it through round one are guaranteed $5,000, while those who fail to make it through round two get $10,000.
The top 20 who contest the last 36 holes are guaranteed $17,500 with the top three getting $200,000, $150,000 and $100,000.
Round one rivals for Kennedy and Griffin include seasoned tour players such as Laurie Canter, Scott Hend, Jazz Janewattananond, Lucas Bjerregaard, Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, Kyle Stanley, Chris Stroud, Jeff Overton and Alvaro Quiros.
The likes of former PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner await in round two alongside Jediah Morgan, James Piot and Sihwan Kim, who were relegated from LIV this season, and Chinese amateur Sampson-Yunhe Zheng, who was runner-up in the Asia Pacific Amateur this year.
Griffin, who has one individual win and another seven top 10s this year, knows he will have to drive the ball well to have a chance.
"Well, it's like nothing we have in Ireland," he said of Abu Dhabi Golf Club. "I played the front nine yesterday and I thought it was very, very tight off the tee.
"You're going to have to drive the ball well and put yourself in position in the fairways because the rough is thick. But it's absolutely unbelievable. The opportunity we have to come over here and play these courses is just fantastic and I can't wait to get going and hopefully keep it straight."
As for his chances, he said: "Well, I absolutely feel confident in the game. I played well the first two practice rounds and I feel like I'm swinging well and the golf game's in a very good place.
"I put on a lot of hard work the last couple of months back home in Ireland, but it'd be a great story if one of the amateurs grabs one of those spots."
Dreaming of world travel with LIV Golf next year, Griffin said: "It's one of the fantastic things we have about the sport we play. You can travel the world, you can see everything as you're doing what you love to do with the people, you enjoy their company and the fact you're able to do that and you have the opportunity to do, that's absolutely fantastic and it's a very, very exciting thought."
