Grillo’s roller-coaster ride nets first Tour win
Emotions run high in playoff victory
Emiliano Grillo had the Frys.com Open won after he drained a 25-footer for birdie on the final hole — until Kevin Na knocked in a 6-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff Sunday at Silverado Resort.
Then Grillo had victory in his sight again on the first playoff hole — until he missed a 3-foot putt.
But Grillo finally won his first PGA Tour title — and with it an invitation to Augusta National to play in the 2016 Masters — when he made a birdie from 9 feet on the second playoff hole to topple Na in the 2015-16 season opener.
“You just say Masters, I can’t believe it,” Grillo said. “This is just awesome. ... I missed a short putt. I hit it good; I don’t know what happened. My caddie came over to me and asked if I was OK. I remained positive.”
Grillo, 23, who won the Web.com Tour Championship two weeks ago to secure his card, won playing in his first Tour event as a full member of the circuit. He is the sixth player born in Argentina to win on the PGA Tour.
“This is the greatest moment of my life, golf-wise,” he said. “It’s a dream come true. Just being here, just being on the Tour, it’s great. Everything, it’s basically what I expected. ... Seems like the more I enjoy the better I play, so I’m going to go out and enjoy the Masters. You never know.”
Grillo closed with a 3-underpar 69 to finish at 15 under with Na (70). One shot back were Jason Bohn (70), Justin Thomas (69) and Tyrone Van Aswegen (68). Four players finished two back.
The day started with 16 players within four shots of the lead and then saw 12 players within two shots of the lead one hour after the leaders teed off. Eight players held at least a share of the lead during the day. Grillo bounced back following bogeys on the ninth, 12th and 15th holes. One of his best shots came on the 10th when he holed a shot from a greenside bunker.
Grillo was certainly feeling a lot better Sunday than he was Saturday. On the drivable par-4 17th, he nearly hit Rory McIlroy on the fly with a drive of nearly 300 yards. Grillo, who thought the green was clear, was shaken by the incident. McIlroy, on the other hand, joked that if he had been hit it would have put him out of his misery, as he struggled with his putter all week and finished at 9 under in a tie for 26th.
Na looked like he was going to win the tournament. He was tee- tering on the edge of contention, especially when he fell four shots back heading to the 13th tee. But he steadied himself and his game and made birdies on the 13th, 14th, 16th and 18th holes.
Then he thought the tournament was over as he stood by as Grillo attempted his 3-footer on the first playoff hole.
On the second playoff hole — again on the par-5 18th — Na put himself in trouble when he hooked a driver off the deck with his second shot, the ball winding up behind a tree. Na knocked his third just over the green with his ball going through a hole in the branches of the tree. He chipped well past the hole and missed the putt coming back.
“Disappointing, but at the same time, I did birdie four of the last six,” Na said. “Clutched up when I needed to.
“Made birdie in regulation to get in. Just a little unlucky there in the second shot. Driver is the right club. It was a little dark. Probably caught it 16th or 18th of an inch heavy, and the club just turned over.
“So a little disappointing there, but he played great. Made birdie. Should have made birdie the first playoff hole, so good for him.”