Costa Navarino Delivers Drama as Griffiths Ends His Putting Demons
Where Champions Are Made in the Messenian Light
There are courses that simply host golf, and then there are places where the game finds its deeper meaning. Costa Navarino's International Olympic Academy Golf Course belongs firmly in the latter category, and on Saturday, it provided the perfect stage for Simon Griffiths to rediscover himself.
The Englishman closed with a final-round 67 to win the Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy by three shots, finishing at 12-under-par for his third Legends Tour title. But the numbers tell only part of this story. This victory meant something more—it arrived after 68 consecutive rounds containing at least one three-putt, a streak that had gnawed at Griffiths since last year's Senior PGA Championship.
José María Olazábal's Greek Canvas
The International Olympic Academy Golf Course is one of two Olazábal designs nestled in the Messinia resort, and like all great courses, it rewards patience while punishing the reckless. The Spanish legend understood that championship golf should unfold like a conversation, not an argument, and his Greek creation speaks fluently in that language.
Scotland's David Drysdale seemed poised to claim the trophy early, birdieing three of his opening five holes to seize the outright lead. The veteran campaigner was playing with purpose, and defending champion Peter Baker lurked close behind. For a moment, it appeared Griffiths might watch another opportunity slip away.
The 12th Hole Shift
Championship golf has its hinges, those moments where everything pivots. Saturday's arrived at the 12th, where Drysdale missed the green long and suffered a costly three-putt bogey. Suddenly, the leaderboard compressed.
Sweden's Joakim Haeggman, the Ryder Cup hero whose short game once terrorized American galleries, made his move with birdies at the 10th and 11th. The old magic seemed ready to strike again. But great courses demand consistency across all eighteen holes, and Costa Navarino refused to yield easily.
The Decisive Stretch
What happened at the 13th and 14th will stay with Griffiths for years. At the 13th, he found himself six feet from the hole while Haeggman stared at a similar look. The Swede missed. Griffiths poured it in.
"13 was big," Griffiths reflected afterward. "I hit it into about six feet. Haeggman missed and I holed, which was big."
At the 14th, history repeated itself—Griffiths from ten feet, Haeggman from twelve. Same result. The momentum had chosen its master.
"It was just a bit of momentum going my way right when I needed it," he said.
Exorcising the Demons
For those who haven't experienced a putting crisis, it's difficult to convey how deeply it burrows into the psyche. Sixty-eight rounds. Sixty-eight times standing over a putt knowing, somewhere in the back of your mind, that at least one will slide past when it shouldn't. That knowledge becomes a weight, heavier with each passing week.
On Saturday's back nine, Griffiths finally set that burden down. His putter, once his tormentor, became his ally when everything mattered most.
"We have put an end to it. I putted really well today on the back nine, so that was lovely!" he admitted with evident relief. "I'm shocked to be honest."
Drysdale finished runner-up at nine-under, while Baker, Doug McGuigan, Haeggman, and 2024 Costa Navarino champion Clark Dennis shared third at eight-under.
The Takeaway
- Costa Navarino continues to establish itself as a premier European golf destination, with Olazábal's designs providing genuine championship tests.
- Griffiths' victory demonstrates that form is temporary but class endures—even when the putter feels cursed.
- The Legends Tour offers compelling drama precisely because these players know both the heights and depths of professional golf.
- For anyone considering a pilgrimage to Messinia, this week proved the International Olympic Academy course belongs on your list.