Emiliano Grillo’s Strong Performance at the U.S. Open
It was hard to ignore the buzz for Emiliano Grillo. With a TV in both the locker room and dining area, he was already clued in about the rough conditions at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club before teeing off on the ninth hole during Saturday’s third round of the U.S. Open.
He saw Dylan Wu struggle with an 8 on the first hole after four putts and watched Chris Gottapp step back as his ball rolled away. Then Grillo stepped up and became one of the first to tackle the challenging course, finishing the front nine with four consecutive birdies to position himself well for Sunday’s final round.
Grillo ended the day with a 3-under 67, putting him in a tie for sixth place, seven strokes behind the leader, Windham Clark. Remarkably, he was one of only two players to finish under par on Saturday. For the 33-year-old Argentine, who has two PGA Tour wins but has only cracked the top 10 at a major once, this was a chance to change that heading into Sunday.
“We kind of know what’s going to happen there,” Grillo commented. “It’s nice to see it on TV before we go out. That always helps.”
However, don’t bring up Grillo’s performance from the 2018 U.S. Open—the one where he shot 76 and 73, landing him at nine over and missing the cut by just one stroke. He described that experience as a blur he “hated the entire time.” Fast forward eight years, though, and he has built on his past performances, improving with an even-par round on Friday and stepping up his game on the sixth hole.
He executed what he called his “shot of the year” on his second shot of that hole, nearly sinking it from 212 yards, landing just two feet from the pin. This skillful play continued with birdies that came from just under 8 feet, just over 18 feet, and then nearly 25 feet.
Clark might be a tough target to catch, as he’s not only at the top of his game but showing no signs of slowing down. Grillo, being realistic, has acknowledged the difficulty in overtaking golfers at that level. But after a solid performance on Saturday, he feels he’s got a shot.
After winning the Frys.com Open back in the 2015-16 season, it took Grillo another eight years to clinch his next PGA Tour title. His sixth-place finish at the 2023 British Open stands as his best performance in a major. Yet, with four birdies on Saturday, he sees a glimmer of hope.
“When you’re on the 10th tee at four under in the U.S. Open, you’re just eager to finish,” he shared. “Three under or any under at the U.S. Open would win on any day.”
