big-time highlights
Emiliano Grillo SLAM DUNKS hole-in-one at the iconic 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, setting off absolute pandemonium
There are a couple ways to cement yourself in golf lore. Major championship victories, iconic shots in big moments. How about a hole-in-one at one of golf’s most famous par 3s?
Emiliano Grillo’s perfect pitching wedge on Friday flew into the hole on the fly(!), setting off an epic celebration by the tens of thousands of fans on the stadium hole, with the typical showering of beers and other paraphernalia onto the 16th green. Grillo went absolutely nuts as well, flying his club up in the air as he celebrated with his playing partners Rafa Campos and Seamus Power and the caddies.
“You dream of this,” Grillo told NBC’s Kira K. Dixon in an interview immediately after his hole-in-one. “I’ve been playing here 10 years, and I got to see a couple. Every time you’re standing there, you’re getting the thought of what if this goes in.”
The two-time PGA Tour winner seems to have a propensity for making holes-in-one in major settings, as his other ace on the PGA Tour was during the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, where they’ll return to this year.
The ace is the first at TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole during this event since Carlos Ortiz in 2022. The odds on an ace at 16 this week were set at +260, so Grillo just cashed a lot of people’s wagers.
“I don’t care what happens the rest of the day,” Grillo told Dixon on his walk to pick up the ball out of the hole. “I’m going to enjoy this.”