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Emiliano Grillo wins playoff at Colonial for long-awaited second PGA title

Harold Varner III wins LIV Golf D.C. tournament.

PGA: Charles Schwab Challenge - Final Round
Emiliano Grillo plays his shot from the second tee during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge on Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas. Grillo earned his second PGA title with the win Sunday.
Raymond Carlin III / USA Today Sports

Emiliano Grillo of Argentina survived a memorable double bogey on his 72nd hole and beat Adam Schenk on the second playoff hole to win the Charles Schwab Challenge on Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Grillo captured his second career PGA Tour victory -- which came seven years and seven months after his first, in October 2015.

"They say second is harder than the first, and it definitely was," Grillo said on the CBS broadcast. "I'm on top of the world right now."

After Grillo and Schenk re-played the par-4 18th hole and each made par, they headed to the par-3 16th at Colonial Country Club. Grillo's tee shot rolled to inside 5 feet, and Schenk flew his ball over the green.

Schenk made Grillo work for it when he played his second shot to 2 1/2 feet of the pin. But Grillo's left-to-right birdie putt was never in doubt.

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Grillo shot a final-round 68 and Schenk had a 72 for them to both wind up at 8-under 272, though Grillo owned a two-stroke lead when he hit his tee shot at No. 18.

The shot flew far right and wound up in a stream of water in the center of a footpath. According to the CBS broadcast, the water carried the ball roughly 100 yards back in the direction of the tee box before a small rock brought it to rest. Grillo took a penalty stroke and dropped his ball onto the path where the ball entered the stream.

He reached the green in four and two-putted.

"Today I made a double on 18 and honestly I didn't care," Grillo said about his perspective. "Obviously, I would have liked to get it on the 72nd, but to close with some great swings, great swings there on 18, two great birdies on 16."

Grillo had a busy front nine, making four birdies and two bogeys as he started to claw toward the top. He added birdies at Nos. 12 and 16 -- the latter on a putt of nearly 20 feet -- to hit 10 under before his adventurous double bogey.

Schenk, who went 66-67-67 to start the tournament, posted three bogeys through his first 13 holes and landed his only birdie of the day at the par-3 16th. His shot there landed short and to the right but bounced onto the green, caught a slope and rolled to 8 feet, where he made the birdie putt that ultimately got him into the playoff.

Harry Hall of England, who held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds, birdied his first two holes of the day before carding five bogeys for a final-round 73. He was tied with Schenk and Grillo at 8 under stepping to the 18th tee, but his drive sailed left and into a water hazard.

The 25-year-old PGA Tour rookie bogeyed and settled for a tie for third at 7 under with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, whose 67 featured the second hole-in-one of his PGA Tour career. At the par-3 eighth hole, he took aim at the pin and watched his ball take a few hops and roll straight in.

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"Just a three-quarter 7-iron," Scheffler said. "Pretty much the exact same shot I hit there (Saturday). Tee box was a little further up, and there was a little bit more wind in our face, so it kind of set up nicely. ... That was definitely a lot of fun."

Paul Haley II (final-round 67) placed fifth at 6 under. Rickie Fowler also shot a 67 and tied for sixth at 5 under with Michael Kim (67) and defending champion Sam Burns (68). Max Homa (69), Mark Hubbard (69) and Kevin Streelman (71) tied for ninth at 4 under.

Varner III wins LIV Golf D.C.

Harold Varner III made a short birdie putt at the 18th hole to win his first LIV event, prevailing at LIV Golf D.C. on Sunday in Sterling, Va.

Varner's final-round 68 at Trump National Golf Club Washington, D.C. brought him to 12 under for the week, staving off Branden Grace of South Africa by a shot. Mito Pereira of Chile, the leader entering Sunday, settled for third at 10 under after a 71.

Varner, 32, won his first tournament since the Saudi International in February 2022.

"I'm getting better at golf," Varner said. "That's always been my goal. I think big things are coming."

The winner of a $4 million check for first place, Varner said he will put much of it toward his charitable organization, the HV3 Foundation.

"I feel like I get to help a lot of people now, even more people, so that's what kills me sometimes because it costs a lot of money to help a lot of people," Varner said.

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Pereira bogeyed each of his first two holes, opening the door for Varner to move back ahead. Varner followed his first birdie at No. 3 with his lone bogey of the day at No. 4, but he got one back with a birdie at the par-5 seventh.

Varner's biggest shot of the day, though, was a hole-out for birdie from a greenside bunker at the par-4 11th. After Pereira got his third shot within 4 feet of the pin, Varner splashed his ball out and watched it roll straight downhill and into the cup.

Grace made a charge up the leaderboard with a bogey-free, 6-under 66. He started his day on the third hole and birdied two of his last three -- Nos. 18 and 2 -- to get to 11 under. So, Varner was forced to birdie his final hole to avoid a playoff.

Torque GC won the team competition with a combined score of 27 under for the week. David Puig of Spain shot a 66 and Sebastian Munoz of Colombia had a 70 along with Pereira's 71 to contribute to Sunday's score.

Torque beat the all-South African Stinger GC, led by captain Louis Oosthuizen, Grace and Charl Schwartzel. Stinger finished at 24 under.

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