Emiliano Grillo Nails Slam Dunk Ace at WM Phoenix Open’s Iconic No. 16

Give the people what they want!
Emiliano Grillo celebrates his ace at the WM Phoenix Open.
Emiliano Grillo celebrates his ace at the WM Phoenix Open. / @PGATOUR / X

There is no hole in golf quite like No. 16 at the WM Phoenix Open.

The stadium hole invites the craziest fans the sport has to offer as they cheer and jeer the best golfers on the planet. Every shot at the par-3 hole is magnified with the crowd right on top of the players as they prepare their swing.

On Friday, Argentina's Emiliano Grillo lived the dream, dunking in an ace at the most-watched hole on the course.`

Grillo’s ball went about as directly as a ball can possibly go into a hole from 163 yards out, only briefly running around the rim like a basketball before settling home.

The crowd erupted, with beer and water immediately flying through the air. While the tournament has taken steps in recent years to ensure the environment at No. 16 doesn’t get too rowdy, they weren’t going to hold back the party.

“You dream of this,” Grillo said while being interviewed during his walk from the tee to the green to retrieve his ball in all its glory. “I’ve been playing here 10 years. I’ve gotten to see a couple. Every time you’re standing there, you get that thought of ‘What if this one goes in?’

“It was just perfect.”

Grillo’s ace was just the 12th at No. 16 in the history of the tournament. Asked about the potential bar tab he was staring down at the clubhouse, Grillo was unfazed.

“I don’t mind,” Grillo said. “I don’t care what happens the rest of the day."


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Tyler Lauletta
TYLER LAULETTA

Tyler Lauletta is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News Team/team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered sports for nearly a decade at Business Insider, and helped design and launch the OffBall newsletter. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and remains an Eagles and Phillies sicko. When not watching or blogging about sports, Tyler can be found scratching his dog behind the ears.