It took over two months for Ben Griffin to return to action. But when the 30-year-old did at the VidantaWorld Mexico Open on Thursday, his man on the bag had a different face. As it turned out, the three-time PGA Tour champion had parted ways with long-time caddie Alex Ritthamel after four and a half years of collaboration. And the decision was far from easy.
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“So incredible [a] run with Alex, [my] previous caddie,” Griffin said after the first round of the event. “Four and a half years, we changed each other’s lives. So it was a really tough decision, honestly. All respect to Alex. We had a great run, and we had so much fun together. Still friendly. It’s just tough out here… I just felt like the time was right for me to make a switch, and yeah, it’s worked out really well.”
Despite the change, Griffin made an impressive start, carding a 7-under 64 in the opening round, featuring an eagle, seven birdies, and two bogeys. His new man on the bag is Jon Yarbrough, Phil Mickelson’s former caddie. While it’s too early to determine whether the partnership will take the 30-year-old’s game to another level, Griffin appears pleased.
“Jon’s really good on the greens,” he added. “He’s known as one of the best green readers out here, so having him today from close range was nice to help me kind of reaffirm some of my reads. And then yeah, he’s one of the chilliest dudes out here, super calm, and it’s been fun so far having him one day in.”
While Ben Griffin is relishing his new partnership, his decision to part ways with Ritthamel is undoubtedly significant. Ritthamel had been by his side since Griffin earned his PGA Tour card in 2022. The partnership went on to produce three PGA Tour victories and culminated in Griffin earning a place on the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Ritthamel had also gone above and beyond his duties as a caddie. Ahead of the 2024 Genesis Invitational, Griffin’s clubs were accidentally left behind in Phoenix following the WM Phoenix Open. Rather than let the mishap disrupt his preparation, Ritthamel and a couple of friends drove roughly 12 hours to retrieve the clubs from the airport and deliver them to Riviera in time for Griffin’s Tuesday practice round.
However, Jon Yarbrough brings plenty of experience to justify Griffin’s decision. With 25 years of experience as a caddie, Yarbrough spent roughly a decade working alongside Scott Stallings and later joined forces with six-time major champion Phil Mickelson in 2024. Mickelson was particularly impressed with his new caddie, calling him “the best green reader I’ve ever seen” and giving him the nickname “Greens Book Johnny.”
Yarbrough has also worked with several other PGA Tour players, including Gary Woodland, Bill Haas, Smylie Kaufman, and John Mallinger. His experience extends beyond the men’s game, having caddied for Suzann Pettersen, Morgan Pressel, Laura Diaz, and Kelly Robbins. That being said, Ben Griffin has also revealed why it took him over two months to return to action.
Ben Griffin went through knee treatment
The 30-year-old had not competed since finishing T44 at the BMW Championship in August. Having ended the season 41st in the FedEx Cup standings, he was already assured of retaining his PGA Tour card for the following season, meaning he could afford to skip the Fall Series without worrying about his playing status. However, that wasn’t the reason fans hadn’t seen him on the course over the past couple of months.
“So, I got knee injections in my left knee,” he said. “I got PRP and hyaluronic acid put in my left knee. I battled tendonitis in my left knee for two years, and I got an MRI kind of [at the] end of the season, noticed there was a fissure in the cartilage kind of in the middle. So got a couple [of] injections just to help with that.”
Griffin revealed that he had taken roughly a month away from golf to relax before gradually returning to practice. He was also around seven weeks into his injection treatment, which was expected to take effect within six to eight weeks. Although returning to competition at this stage was a little ambitious, he said he was feeling good.
The three-time PGA Tour champion explained that the knee issue rarely bothered him while playing golf. But he admitted it was more noticeable during everyday activities, particularly when walking upstairs or putting pressure on it from an awkward lie. Having undergone treatment, he said he was still feeling good and was relieved to have completed 18 holes for the first time since the BMW Championship.