Emiliano Grillo Wins First PGA Tour Title In Eight Years After Late Drama

The Argentinian beat Adam Schenk at the second playoff hole to win the Charles Schwab Challenge

A picture of the last green of Colonial Country Club during the third round of the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Emiliano Grillo recovered from a double-bogey at the 72nd hole to overcome Adam Schenk in a playoff at the Charles Schwab Classic and lift his first PGA Tour title in eight years.

Following a penalty drop onto a cart path, Grillo racked up a closing double-bogey that allowed Schenk a chance on the final green to snatch an unlikely victory. His effort pulled up short and Grillo eventually got over the line with a birdie two on the second playoff hole for his first PGA Tour win since the 2015 Frys.com Open.

"It been such a ride," Grillo said. "It makes me think of where I'm from, it makes me think of my family. We had a baby 14 months ago and life changed, my perspective changed.

"I made a double on 18 and I didn't care. I would have liked to and get it on the 72nd but to close with some great swings, two great birdies on 16.

"They say the second is harder than the first and it definitely was. I'm on top of the world right now and hopefully I can stay there for another week."

Grillo began the day trailing Schenk and England's Harry Hall by four. Hall, 25, was looking for his maiden PGA Tour title and had held at least a share of the lead at the end of each of the first three rounds.

The Englishman got off to the perfect start on Sunday with back-to-back birdies but wouldn't pick up another shot as he carded a three-over 73 that left him in a tie for third.

He had a putt on 18 for par to join the playoff after finding the water with his tee shot but saw it pull up agonisingly short and left.

Alongside Hall, Scottie Scheffler could well have tasted success in Texas but for a stone-cold putter. The World No. 1 lost shots to the field every day on the greens but found the perfect solution on the par-3 eighth, making a hole-in-one to vault himself into contention.

Another birdie at 10 took him to eight-under but a bogey at 16 meant he had to settle for a T3 finish.

Charles Schwab Challenge Leaderboard 2023

  • -8 Grillo*, Schenk
  • -7 Scheffler, Hall
  • -6 Haley II
  • -5 Kim, Fowler, Burns
Andrew-Wright
Andrew Wright
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HELLO AND WELCOME

Follow live updates from the final day of the PGA Tour's Charles Schwab Challenge. Colonial Country Club is the glorious setting as England's Harry Hall bids to capture his first win.

Birdie for English

Homa to -5

It's another birdie for Homa, who gets to five-under. He's five back with nine to play so needs a fair few more to vault himself into contention.

HALL TAKES SOLO LEAD

CHEERS RING OUT ROUND COLONIAL

Schenk plays a sloppy pitch on the second as a huge cheers goes up from somewhere. To the 8th tee, is it Scheffler? It is! 

BIRDIES GALORE

Scheffler's ace

Here's how the World No. 1 got to -7...

Greens look baked

It's a great feature and should provide some drama throughout the day.

Clumsy from English

English faces a lengthy par putt on the 4th after a clumsy chip shot on the par-3. If he misses, he'll fall three behind Hall.

Par for Hall

If there are any nerves, Hall isn't showing them. He misses the fairway and green at the 3rd but slots a five-footer to save par and consolidate his lead.

Scheffler's putting woes

Perusing Data Golf and once again Scheffler's putting stats stand out. And not in a good way. Of the players to make the cut, he ranks last in strokes gained on the greens. It comes on the back of a similarly useless display on the greens at Oak Hill during the PGA Championship. 

The rest of his stats are incredible and are as follows: 

Bogey for English

English can't convert his par putt on the 4th and slips to -9. He's now three behind Hall. Plenty of golf left to be played.

Schenk and Hall save par

Morikawa's bogey hole

Great Scott

Scheffler finally gets a putt to drop and it's a monster. He rolls in a 40-footer for birdie on the 10th to move to -8. 

Bogeys galore

Hall two clear again

Schenk's bogey at the 6th restores Hall's two-shot cushion. Elsewhere, Streelman and Lipsky birdie the 9th to get to -6 and within five.

What a shot

Paul Halley II has entered the conversation. He chips in on the 13th from 50 feet for a third consecutive birdie to get to -6. 

Hovland misses

What a chance that was for Viktor. It's a slippery one and he lets his birdie putt slip by on the right side. He remains -6 and five back.

Chink in Hall's armour

It's hotting up!

Hovland within three

Viktor Hovland hitting a drive during the final round of the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge

(Image credit: Getty Images)

After missing a great birdie chance on the 9th, Hovland makes amends at the very next hole to get to -7 and within three of Hall.

Up ahead, Justin Rose puts the finishing touches on his tournament with a birdie at 18 to finish -3.

Another putt slides by for Scheffler

The World No. 1 misses another opportunity for birdie at the 15th. He's missed just one green today but will need to get some putts to drop in the closing three holes if he wants to challenge for victory.

Final group makes the turn

We're into the back nine on Sunday. Hall has a chance to go two ahead again on the 9th and hits a great putt but watches on in dismay as it dives across the hole and lips out.

Scheffler, Hall out of position

After bigging up Scheffler's ball-striking, he misses the 16th green. His bunker shot is poor and leaves him 12 feet for par.

Bogey for Scheffler, defending champ signs off

The World No. 1 can't clean up his mess on 16 and drops to -7. He'll likely need two birdies to finish and a prayer if he wants to win.

On 18, defending champion Sam Burns closes with a birdie to get to -5. 

Huge par save for Hall

He's definitely feeling it, though, and hits another wide off the tee on 11 into the jungle.

Grillo within one

Emiliano Grillo tees off on #2 during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Is Grillo the man to beat? He certainly appears to be playing the best golf. The Argentinian is now just one back of Hall courtesy of a birdie on the 435-yard 12th.

He's safely aboard the par-3 13th, albeit some 40 feet away.

Hovland in the drink

The Norwegian steps up on the 13th and hits a rare wide, blocking his tee shot miles right into the water. He'll do well to salvage a bogey.

Tied at the top

Hovland salvages bogey

Huge break for Grillo

Scottie in the house

Scottie Scheffler of the United States hits his first shot on the 6th hole during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Scheffler finally gets a putt to drop. Ironically it's on the last and it's for par. The World No. 1 lost shots to the field on the greens in every round but still posts a seven-under total.

It'll likely be a couple shy of what's needed to win but another solid showing from the game's best player.

Hovland's race run

Hear from the World No. 1 

Three-horse race?

Hall hits a six-iron from 189 yards into the heart of the 14th green. Schenk goes with two clubs less from 25 yards closer and makes it count, sticking it to 18 feet. 

Ahead, Grillo finds the par-3 16th green and will have 20 feet for birdie. It's likely between these three for the title.

Grillo hits the front

Final group on the clock

From the trees, Schenk leaves himself handily place in the mouth of the green. 

Leaders in trouble

Hall drops another shot

That birdie-birdie start feels like a lifetime ago for Hall. He's unable to save par on 15 and is back to eight-under, two behind Grillo.

The Argentinian has a tricky eight-footer of his own for par on 17 and buries it. 

Hall finds bunker, Grillo in trouble on 18

Grillo's ball is still moving

Incredibly, the leader's ball is in an aqueduct and is slowly moving down a stream. Never seen anything like it. An interesting ruling coming up.

Schenk birdies, Hall saves par

The moment Grillo's ball came to a stop

Grillo drops on a cart path

The leader takes a free drop on a cart path and will be playing his third from a seriously tricky spot. It looks like he's got to hit his ball below a tree limb off an upslope with water left of the green.

Final group save par on 17

Drama at 18

Can you believe it? Grillo hits his pitch to about 15 feet and can't make the bogey putt, meaning he drops two shots back to -8 and into a three-way tie at the top with Schenk and Hall.

Disaster for Hall on 18

It's Hall's turn to come unstuck on the 72nd hole. The Englishman pulls his tee shot well left and it runs into the water. He looks distraught. 

He still has a chance if he can make par but that front-left hole location on these baked greens has been extremely difficult to get close to. 

Schenk has a putt to win

Schenk is up first from 121 yards and hits a cracker into 15 feet - he'll have that to pull off a win that looked seriously unlikely an hour ago.

Hall will be up first for par from 23 feet and it's a must make.

We're going to a playoff

Hall's putt pulls up agonisingly short and left, with the bogey dropping him back to -7 and into a tie for third with Scheffler. The Englishman has led since an opening 62 but struggled on Sunday after making a strong start. An experience he'll undoubtedly be better for but one that will be tough to take for a while.

Schenk is next for the win and his putt also stops a couple of rolls shy, meaning we're heading to a playoff at Colonial.

Really cool moment

Hall: 'I'll learn from it'

"I haven't thought about it too much yet. Winning on the PGA Tour was closer than I thought it would be. You don't need great golf on a hard course coming down the stretch to get it done and I just missed a couple putts inside five feet that I wouldn't normally do.

"I'll learn from it."

Playoff begins

Both players find the green

Up first from 157 yards, Grillo sticks his approach to 27 feet. Schenk from 15 yards closer can't do much better so both are facing lengthy birdie putts.

So close

He taps in for par so we're off to the par-3 16th.

What a bounce

Superb from Schenk

The American plays an exquisite bump-and-run through the rough, judging the speed to perfection to get it to about three feet. 

Grillo still has a great chance to win but at least he's being made to work for it.

Grillo is the champion

That's a wrap