'As perfect as it gets’: Golf world agrees with Charles Schwab Challenge having the ‘coolest tradition in golf’

The 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge has concluded, with Ben Griffin registering a clinical win. He ended the event with a total score of 12 under par, and his consistency allowed him to not only take the lead in round three but also keep it for the final two rounds.

After this victory, the tournament gifted Griffin a car, maintaining their long-standing tradition.

Each year, the winner of the Charles Schwab Challenge receives a car. The PGA Tour recently highlighted this on their Instagram account, with a post including the last four winners and the car they won from this tournament. Here are the four golfers mentioned in the post, along with the cars they won:

2022 winner - Sam Burns - 1979 Firebird
2023 winner - Emiliano Grillo - 1973 Bronco
2024 winner - Davis Riley - 1975 Stingray
2025 winner - Ben Griffin - 1992 Defender

The PGA Tour called this tradition "one of the coolest" of all time.

"One of the coolest traditions in golf … the winner of @Charles_Schwab_Challenge gets a new car! 🚙🏆"

The golf world agreed with the PGA's post and reacted to the tradition. Here are some of the reactions related to the long-standing tradition of the Charles Schwab Challenge.

"That Defender for a St. Simons guy is as perfect as it gets. It was meant to be!"

One more fan expressed their excitement and their comment read,

"That Defender rules😮‍💨"

Ben Griffin's new car after winning the Charles Schwab Challenge (Image Via: IG @pgatour)

Many fans praised Ben Griffin's defender in the PGA Tour's post's comment section.

The defender is so nice," another fan pointed out.

"1. Defender 2. Bronco 3. Stingray 4. Firebird," one fan listed the car in the order of his preference.

"Sweet ride, @bengriffingolf!" one fan page pointed out.

How much money did each player receive at the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge?

GOLF: MAY 25 PGA Charles Schwab Challenge - Source: Getty

The 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge boasted a $9.5 million prize pool. It is one of the largest events, and the golfers benefited greatly from the prize money. Here's a full breakdown of how much each player earned at this year's tournament:

WIN: Ben Griffin, -12/268, $1.71 million
2: Matti Schmid, -11/269, $1.035 million
3: Bud Cauley, -9/271, $655,500
T-4: Tommy Fleetwood, -8/272, $427,500
T-4: Scottie Scheffler, -8/272, $427,500
T-6: Aldrich Potgieter, -7/273, $299,725
T-6: Harry Hall, -7/273, $299,725
T-6: Ryo Hisatsune, -7/273, $299,725
T-6: J.J. Spaun, -7/273, $299,725
T-6: Robert MacIntyre, -7/273, $299,725
T-11: Gary Woodland, -6/274, $203,775
T-11: Vince Whaley, -6/274, $203,775
T-11: Karl Vilips, -6/274, $203,775
T-11: Andrew Novak, -6/274, $203,775
T-11: Nick Hardy, -6/274, $203,775
T-16: Michael Kim, -5/275, $140,125
T-16: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, -5/275, $140,125
T-16: Pierceson Coody, -5/275, $140,125
T-16: Kris Ventura, -5/275, $140,125
T-16: Emiliano Grillo, -5/275, $140,125
T-16: Rickie Fowler, -5/275, $140,125
T-22: Max Greyserman, -4/276, $88,666.67
T-22: Webb Simpson, -4/276, $88,666.67
T-22: Matt Wallace, -4/276, $88,666.67
T-22: Lucas Glover, -4/276, $88,666.67
T-22: Kurt Kitayama, -4/276, $88,666.67
T-22: Akshay Bhatia, -4/276, $88,666.67
T-28: Patrick Rodgers, -3/277, $60,978.13
T-28: Mac Meissner, -3/277, $60,978.13
T-28: Sam Stevens, -3/277, $60,978.13
T-28: Chris Gotterup, -3/277, $60,978.13
T-28: Mark Hubbard, -3/277, $60,978.13
T-28: Si Woo Kim, -3/277, $60,978.13
T-28: John Pak, -3/277, $60,978.13
T-28: Eric Cole, -3/277, $60,978.13
T-36: Erik van Rooyen, -2/278, $42,334
T-36: Brice Garnett, -2/278, $42,334
T-36: Keith Mitchell, -2/278, $42,334
T-36: J.T. Poston, -2/278, $42,334
T-36: Jordan Spieth, -2/278, $42,334
T-36: Luke List, -2/278, $42,334
T-36: Quade Cummins, -2/278, $42,334
T-36: Hideki Matsuyama, -2/278, $42,334
T-44: Tom Kim, -1/279, $32,775
T-44: Andrew Putnam, -1/279, $32,775
T-46: Austin Eckroat, E/280, $25,880.71
T-46: Thorbjorn Olesen, E/280, $25,880.71
T-46: Jesper Svensson, E/280, $25,880.71
T-46: Kevin Roy, E/280, $25,880.71
T-46: Doug Ghim, E/280, $25,880.71
T-46: Adam Svensson, E/280, $25,880.71
T-46: Brian Harman, E/280, $25,880.71
T-53: Sam Ryder, +1/281, $22,261.67
T-53: Harris English, +1/281, $22,261.67
T-53: Matt Kuchar, +1/281, $22,261.67
T-53: Lee Hodges, +1/281, $22,261.67
T-53: Carson Young, +1/281, $22,261.67
T-53: Jackson Suber, +1/281, $22,261.67
T-59: Henrik Norlander, +2/282, $20,995
T-59: Beau Hossler, +2/282, $20,995
T-59: Nico Echavarria, +2/282, $20,995
T-59: Jeremy Paul, +2/282, $20,995
T-59: Seamus Power, +2/282, $20,995
T-59: Harry Higgs, +2/282, $20,995
T-59: Ricky Castillo, +2/282, $20,995
T-66: Rico Hoey, +3/283, $19,950
T-66: Max McGreevy, +3/283, $19,950
T-66: Steven Fisk, +3/283, $19,950
T-66: Peter Malnati, +3/283, $19,950
T-70: Dylan Wu, +4/284, $19,285
T-70: Ben Silverman, +4/284, $19,285
T-70: Camilo Villegas, +4/284, $19,285
T-73: Taylor Moore, +5/285, $18,810
T-73: Ryan Gerard, +5/285, $18,810
75: Victor Perez, +6/286, $18,525
76: Will Chandler, +7/287, $18,335
T-77: Hayden Springer, +8/288, $18,050
T-77: Frankie Capan III, +8/288, $18,050

About the author

Anurag Bhardwaj is a Golf Journalist at Sportskeeda. With over three years of experience writing about various sports, Anurag has drawn inspiration from numerous icons, ranging from WWE’s Roman Reigns to NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes. His passion for storytelling spans across different sports, all while pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery, and he hopes to continue blending both his professions.

A single spark ignited his love for golf, and now he follows the sport with unwavering enthusiasm. Whether it’s the Masters or the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Anurag is always ready for a deep dive into the action. Through his writing, he brings the latest happenings from the golf world straight to the fans' screens. And while he dreams of stepping onto a golf course someday, he remains in awe of Scottie Scheffler’s precision, all while striving to become a great doctor.

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Edited by Rupesh