Ben Griffin wins in Mexico for 3rd PGA Tour title of the year

LOS CABOS, Mexico: Ben Griffin avoided the mistakes that slowed his two challengers Sunday and rolled in three long birdie putts for a 9-under 63 to win the World Wide Technology Championship for his third PGA Tour title of the season.

Griffin two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18th at El Cardonal at Diamante for a two-shot victory. He joined Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as the only players with at least three wins, with one of those for Griffin a team event in New Orleans.

Griffin, playing for the second time since his Ryder Cup debut, ran off five straight birdies starting at No. 8. That included a 40-foot putt on the par-3 11th to tie the lead, a 25-foot putt on the 12th for his first lead and a 25-foot putt on the par-3 16th that all but sealed it.

Ben Griffin plays his shot from the 16th tee during the final round of the World Wide Technology Championship 2025 at El Cardonal at Diamante on November 9, 2025 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. (Getty Images/AFP)

Griffin moves to a career-best No. 9 in the world ranking. He finished at 29-under 259. And his year is not over. He is getting married next month to Dana Myeroff.

Sami Valimaki (64) and Chad Ramey (65) tied for second and picked up a valuable consolation. Valimaki started the week at No. 103 in the FedEx Cup and moved to No. 76, assuring a full card for next year. Ramey went from 123rd to 89th and is likely safe. Two tournaments remain before the top 100 in the FedEx Cup keep full status for 2026.

European Tour

In Abu Dhabi, Aaron Rai of England overcame a shocking short miss with a pair of late birdies for a 5-under 67 and beat Tommy Fleetwood (66) on the first playoff hole with a 10-foot birdie putt to win the Abu Dhabi Championship.

Rai returned from a two-month break to win for the first time this year and pick up his third European tour title — his first on the tour since defeating Fleetwood in the 2020 Scottish Open. He won the Wyndham Championship in August 2004 for his first PGA Tour title.

Aaron Rai of England poses with the trophy after winning the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 9, 2025. (AP)

Rory McIlroy started the back nine at Yas Links with five straight birdies and closed with a 62, matching his low score on the European Tour. He wound up one shot behind, but expanded his lead in the Race to Dubai that concludes next week.

Rai came into the week at No. 55 in the Race to Dubai and the victory moved him to No. 9 to qualify for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship next week in Dubai for the top 50. Matthew Jordan tied for 15th to earn the 50th spot.

LPGA Tour

In Shiga, Japan, Nasa Hataoka won a playoff to take the LPGA’s Toto Japan Classic after the final round was washed out by rain that caused the course to be unplayable.

Hataoka and fellow Japanese golfer Yuna Araki shared the lead Saturday after 54 holes at 15-under 201 at the Seta Golf Club. After rain wiped out regulation play Sunday, Hataoka prevailed on the first playoff hole to claim her seventh career LPGA victory.

Miyu Yamashita, the Women’s British Open champion coming off a win in Malaysia last week, shot 68 on Saturday and wound up one shot out of the playoff.

Japan's Nasa Hataoka holds the trophy after winning the LPGA's Toto Japan Classic in Otsu, Shiga prefecture, Japan on Nov. 9, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)

Other tours

Yuta Sugiura won the ACN Championship when heavy rain washed out the final round at Miki Golf Club. Sugiura, who was at 13-under 200 and had a three-shot lead, won for the first time this year on the Japan Golf Tour. ... Yosuke Asaji closed with a 5-under 67 and made a 6-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole against Jeunghun Wang to win the Moutai Singapore Open on the Asian Tour. Asaji moved to No. 2 in the International Series ranking. The top two at the end of the year are exempt for LIV Golf. ... Ruixin Liu of China closed with a 5-under 68 for a three-shot victory in the Aramco China Championship on the Ladies European Tour. ... Casey Jarvis closed with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory over Ryan Van Velzen in the Hyundai Open on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. ... Youmin Hwang shot a 2-under 70 to get in a three-way playoff, and she made birdie on the fourth extra hole to win the Daebo HausD Championship on the Korea LPGA. ... Jamie Donaldson shot a 6-under 67 to overcome a four-shot deficit and win the Champions UK European Senior Masters in Spain on the Legends Tour.

BANGKOK: The UAE jiu-jitsu national team, sponsored by Mubadala Investment Co., raised their total medal tally to 11 at the 2025 World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship on Sunday in Thailand.

The tournament, which has age categories under 16, 18 and 21, began on Nov. 8 and ends on Friday in Bangkok.

The girls’ under-16 team added four medals on Sunday, including one silver and three bronze, to the seven medals won by the boys’ team on the opening day.

Sara Farook won silver in the 48 kg category, Mathail Alhammadi and Ghaiaheb Alrashdi earned bronze in the 36 kg division, and Maitha Alkarbi claimed bronze in the 40 kg division.

The UAE team’s total in the under-16 division now stands at 11 medals, including two gold, three silver and six bronze.

Abdulla Al-Zaabi, director of marketing and corporate communications at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, praised the team.

He said their skill and discipline highlight the continued development of women’s jiu-jitsu in the UAE, supported by the nation’s leadership and the federation’s commitment to nurturing Emirati talent.

“This strong start gives us great motivation to maintain our momentum in the under-18 and under-21 categories and to increase our medal tally further,” said Al-Zaabi.

“It also reinforces the UAE’s standing among the leading jiu-jitsu nations on the world stage.”

Silver medalist Farook commented: “Standing on the podium at the 2025 world championship and winning silver is a dream come true.

“The matches were tough, but with the guidance of our coaches and the support of my teammates, I stayed focused on representing the UAE in the best way possible.

“I’m proud to have contributed to the team’s success and will keep working hard to win gold and raise the UAE flag in future competitions.”

The championship continues on Monday, Nov. 10, with the boys’ under-18 category, as the UAE national team look to build more momentum and add to their medal count.

Ben Griffin wins in Mexico for 3rd PGA Tour title of the year