Profile: Lanto Griffin, 2021 Ambassador
We recently caught up with Lanto Griffin as he was preparing to head west from his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, to Austin, Texas, to make his inaugural appearance at the WGC Match Play.
Since announcing himself to the international golf world in just his 33rd PGA Tour start with a victory at the 2019 Houston Open, Lanto has catapulted inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking and has become a fixture most weeks near the top of the leaderboard. In his previous nine starts dating back to late 2020, Lanto only missed one cut, while posting a runner-up finish at the QBE Shootout, along with five other finishes in the top 30.
As he headed to Austin, Lanto hadn’t finished worse than T-26 in any of his last four starts and has proven that he can contend in any field. “[WGC Match Play] is a bucket list tournament for me, one I’ve always dreamed of playing in,” he said. “Match play is a fun format.”
A few months earlier and unbeknownst to his growing legion of fans, when Lanto teed off his 2021 schedule in Maui at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, he was struggling behind the scenes. That same week, he had begun taking a new supplement to help his memory and focus. Lanto said the product was from a reputable brand and approved for the PGA Tour, but he ended up in the emergency room.
After feeling “awful” for two days, Lanto said the doctor was worried he had appendicitis and he was prepared for surgery. Yet, after receiving a CT scan and numerous other tests, everything came back perfect—except for a strange inflammation in the diaphragm.
“That’s when I checked the side effects for the supplement, and I was experiencing all of the rare ones,” he said. “So, I stopped taking it. I ate bland foods the rest of the week and finished 13th that week.
“It was a roller-coaster way to start the year.”
Lanto, who turns 33 in June, says he has been mostly pleased with his play thus far in 2021. But he knows that when contending with the world’s best every week, there is always room for improvement.
“Starting back in 2019, being consistent has been my main goal,” he said. “Winning is the ultimate goal … but grinding out top 25’s will add up and also builds confidence. 2021 has been solid so far. Not great, but consistent.”
He said he has learned during his decade-plus of professional golf that he is best served working hard and staying the course. “I’ve been hitting my irons and putting very well, but off the tee and around the greens have been a weakness,” he said. “I’ve been working harder than ever and feel like I’m getting closer. Golf is a fickle game ... hard work doesn’t always pay off in the short run, but it always does eventually if you stay patient.”
Next up for Lanto following the match-play event in Austin will be his second consecutive Masters appearance, which comes just five months following his first. In November’s delayed 2020 Masters, Lanto narrowly missed the cut following rounds of 74 and 73.
For his second start at Augusta National, Lanto says he is particularly excited about having spectators on hand. “I can’t wait to experience an April Masters, with patrons and my family in attendance,” he said.
After that, Lanto said he is looking forward to helping host his first Dormie Network charity event at Ballyhack, September 20 – 21. “Brantley Gilbert is scheduled to perform and play in the event,” Lanto said. “He’s a member of Dormie Network, and I can’t thank him enough for his time and helping us raise lots of money for charity.”
Lanto added that the Dormie Network and Ballyhack have been especially helpful in making this first-year event possible. “I couldn’t ask for a better venue in Ballyhack and can’t wait to get back to my hometown and see familiar faces,” he said. “Cheers to everyone for their support!”
All photos courtesy Lanto Griffin.
