Emiliano Grillo wins Frys.com Open in playoff over Kevin Na
Emiliano Grillo is batting 1.000 as a full member of the PGA Tour.
The 23-year-old won his first start with a Tour card on Sunday, beating Kevin Na in a two-hole playoff for the Frys.com Open at Silverado Resort’s North Course in Napa, Calif.
Both Grillo and Na finished at 15-under 273, a stroke clear of Justin Thomas, Tyrone Van Aswegen and Jason Bohn. Grillo got into the extra session with a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-5 finisher, but showed signs of nerves in pursuit of his first PGA Tour win in the playoff.
After Na failed to make birdie on the first playoff hole, the 18th, Grillo had a 3-foot putt for the victory. The putt lipped out off the left side, forcing a second hole. Perhaps jarred, the Argentinian then missed the fairway when the pair returned to the 18th tee to continue sudden death.
Grillo had a 3-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to win and was stunned when it caught the left lip and spun away. Then, he drove into the fairway bunker on the 18th on the second extra hole with Na in the fairway.
Na found the fairway the second go-round in extra holes, but then chose to hit driver off the deck (off the turf) for his second shot. He hooked it behind a tree, stymieing his third shot. Ultimately, Na made bogey. Grillo took advantage, finding the green with his third shot and leaving a 10-foot birdie putt. Grillo could have won with a two-putt par but made the birdie putt to secure to win.
The veteran Na didn’t regret the choice.
“Maybe I should have hit 3-wood, but if I were to go do it all over again, I probably would still hit driver,” na said.
This is the second consecutive win for Grillo, both coming in dramatic fashion. Grillo made a 25-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win the Web.com Tour Championship and secure his PGA Tour card. After a two-week break, he continued his winning ways in the PGA Tour season opener. The win moves Grillo, who finished a playoff runner-up in the Puerto Rico Open in March and has three top-six European Tour finishes in 2015, up to 36th in the Official World Golf Ranking. It also gets him in the Masters, PGA Championship, The Players and the WGC-HSBC Champions and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Brendan Steele, who led by a shot entering the final round, shot 4-over 76 to finish in a tie for 17th, five behind the playoff combatants.
Rory McIlroy finished T-26, another shot back of Grillo and Na.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
