WATCH: Emiliano Grillo overcomes aqueduct problem on 72nd hole to win the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge
FORT WORTH, Texas — Emiliano Grillo emerge the winner Sunday at the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club after beating Adam Schenk in a two-hole playoff. And that didn’t happen until after the 72nd hole adventure involved an aqueduct adjacent to the 18th par-4, resulting in two extra holes being played to determine the winner.
Taking a two-stroke lead on the 18th tee by under-10 in this event, Grillo made his right serve, eventually rolling into the aqueduct inside the penalty area. The flow of the aqueduct is strong enough that Grillo’s ball begins to slowly drift a sufficient distance toward the tee before stopping.
While Grillo had the option to hit the ball from danger, he ultimately opted for a drop and a one-stroke penalty. Fortunately for Grillo, he was able to execute his drop on the way into the danger zone, allowing him to make a third shot — a punch out of the green — from a position much closer to the green area than he is. the ball has stabilized after making an unexpected journey.
In the end, Grillo tackled a finishing brace to sit in bottom 8th for the event. Schenk matched that point to force the knockout round. Third-round co-leader Harry Hall was also in 8th on the 72nd hole, but missed the playoff by a hit after hitting his tee on the 18th hole into the water and making a bogey .
“I hit that exact shot [before], right at the base of the tree. As the sheriff went straight down from the tree, I knew there was a long way to go until that ball stopped,” Grillo said. “It stopped for five to 10 seconds and I think I got lucky. It has a window, and then five seconds later, it keeps moving. So I tried my best to make a bogey, but couldn’t. I know if I finish before Scottie Scheffler, I know I still have a chance.”
Grillo and Schenk played pars on the first playoff hole, par 4 replay on the 18th. However, when the game moved to the second playoff hole on the 16th par-3, Grillo made his tee. less than five feet from the cup, while Schenk’s tee shot bounced off the back of the green. Schenk then took his chip shot close to the trophy, but Grillo sank his birdie attempt for a second PGA Tour win, birdie on that same hole early in the afternoon to hit 10 under before going back to 8 points below.
Those who have watched the Charles Schwab Challenge for many years may have seen Grillo’s sequence of events on the last hole of the rule very familiar. Two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw, 1990, had a similar encounter with the same aqueduct when teeing off on the adjacent par-4 17th hole, although Crenshaw’s ball eventually went all the way into a larger body of water. Crenshaw also shot eight under to win that year, though didn’t need to play the playoffs.
