Players Look to Make Moves in the Rankings as Emiliano Grillo Wins at Colonial

Emiliano Grillo didn't make it easy but he got it done.

Starting Sunday at the Charles Schwab Challenge four back of the lead, Grillo had a two-stroke advantage heading to his 72nd hole. However, he hit his tee shot into a concrete drainage canal and his ball floated roughly 150 yards back. He would take a penalty drop, leading to a double and eventually a playoff with Adam Schenk.

The Argentina native, though, would overcome his double by birdieing the second bonus hole — hitting his tee shot to 5 feet on the par-3 16th — to notch his second PGA Tour win and first since 2015.

"The wait was definitely worth it," Grillo said afterward. "It was long, but it was worth it. Happy to be a champion in Colonial. I get to put my name right next to Roberto De Vicenzo."

Schenk, who shared the 54-hole lead with Englishman Harry Hall, finished regulation with Grillo at 8 under. Schenk nearly won the event on his 72nd hole, but his birdie putt stopped inches from the cup. The 31-year-old then settled for his second runner-up of the season.

"Played great all day," Schenk said. "I hit a poor shot on 10. Other than that, I wouldn't take back any of the shots we hit. Unfortunately, came up one short and didn't get it done in the playoff. But Emiliano hit an amazing shot into 16. So he earned it."

Though Schenk is still looking for his maiden Tour win after 171 starts, he moved from 36th to 23rd in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings.

One spot below Schenk on the final leaderboard was Scottie Scheffler. The world No. 1 finished T-3 at 7 under with Hall for his Tour-leading 11th top-10 of the season. Though issues with the putter damped his chance of victory, he still left Colonial with a thrilling moment, acing the par-3 eighth on Sunday, his second hole-in-one on Tour.

"For a weekend where I really struggled with the putter, to give myself still a chance to win was nice," said Scheffler, who increased his comfortable lead in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings at Colonial.

Other notable movers on the U.S. Ryder Cup points list include Collin Morikawa, who went from 10th to 9th after a T-29, Rickie Fowler, who rose from 22nd to 21st with his fifth top-10 of the season and Russell Henley, who jumped one spot to 24th with a T-16 at Colonial.

Crediti foto: Getty Images

However, there are still plenty of chances this year for a player to get a win and improve their chances of teeing it up later this year in Rome, Italy, at the Ryder Cup.

And if a player is feeling a sense of despair with their game, they can look at Grillo, who went 2,779 days between Tour wins, as an inspiration.

U.S. Team Captain Zach Johnson first announced the 2023 qualifying structure last year. Points in 2023 are awarded as follows:

- 1 point per $1,000 earned at regular PGA Tour events beginning January 1, including the Zurich Classic and WGC events, through the BMW Championship (August 20)

- 2 points per $1,000 earned for winner of the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- 1.5 points per $1,000 earned for all others that make the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- No points available at PGA Tour opposite-field events

Points qualification will conclude immediately after the second FedEx Cup Play-Off event (BMW Championship) on August 20, 2023, with the top six eligible players on the points list securing spots on the U.S. Team.

The six remaining slots on the U.S. Team will be Captain’s Selections and will be announced by Johnson following the 2023 Tour Championship.

For a full list of the Top 100 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, click here.