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PUERTO RICO OPENMarch 7, 2015Emiliano GrilloRIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO Q. We welcome Emiliano Grillo here at the Puerto Rico Open, your third time here. Last year you won the Argentina Open on the Latin American Tour, and you've got a top 5 this year in Europe. Tell us about your round today and how you're feeling. EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, of course it's a great opportunity for me coming to play here in the U.S. It's what I want, and I'm enjoying it so far, and hopefully I can get a good round tomorrow and have a chance. It's been good so far. It's been a good year. That's pretty much the reason why I'm here. I'm spending a week instead of playing in South Africa where I had some good tournaments over the past year. I'm trying to enjoy it, trying to stay in the moment, and trying to bring home the trophy. Q. What was your decision like to play this event, and where were you between‑‑ you came from where and where are you off to next? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, it was either this tournament or three tournaments in South Africa, so it was kind of a hard decision. I know I can open a lot of doors if I get a win this week, but I also know I can open a lot of doors out there if I get a couple top 5s or top 10s. But I played already twice here, so I kind of know the course. It's a great event, and everybody speaks Spanish. It makes it easy. But you know, it's a nice place to be, and I had a good start to the year, so that's kind of why the decision was to come here. Q. Your biggest accomplishment on the European Tour, your second at Dubai or your national Open of Argentina. How would you weigh that? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, it's completely different. The Argentina Open is my home event, my home open, and it was a very special one because I am 22 and have my home tournament. At 22 years old it's something special. It was my first win as a professional, but the second place in Dubai, of course it was a big‑‑ it was a big push in my career, so they are both right there. It was a special moment to make that putt on the last hole, and it gave me the confidence that I can win out there. I would say the Argentina Open is the most special one so far. Q. I followed you in amateur and junior events here in America through the IMG Academy. How did that come about, you leaving Argentina? What age were you? How did you end up‑‑ EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, I moved from my hometown to Buenos Aires to keep studying, to stay in school and keep playing more golf when I was 14, and they gave me a scholarship to the IMG academy when I was like 15 or 16 years old, and I met my coach there, and that's the reason why I'm still living there. It was great. It was a lot of experience, good tournaments. I actually played here as a junior I think with the first edition of the Puerto Rico Junior, and it was a great experience, and I think every step that I took, every choice that I made, I think it was the right one. Q. Were you thinking about a college scholarship offer? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, there was a lot of them, but I wasn't good in school, so I wasn't really thinking about it. But yeah, I had some good options, and I think it was the right decision not to go to college, and I was lucky enough to go my first try on Q‑school. I tried both sides, didn't make it here, made it over there, and it's been great so far. I haven't regretted it so far. Q. (Inaudible.) EMILIANO GRILLO: No, no, it's Grant Price. Q. What are the strengths of your golf game? What are the things you do best? EMILIANO GRILLO: Tee to green I've always been the best of my game, ended up second last year in greens in regulation. That kind of tells you a little bit‑‑ most of my game, and I've been improving a lot in the short game and the putting. That's my weakness, the putting, and I've been working really hard, and I'm putting a lot of effort into the short game area, and that's why I'm having good results over there the past year, year and a half. I know that's where I'm going to have to work really hard in the next months, next years, too, to try to get to the top 50 or top 10, top 20 in the world. Q. Has the putting been good this week? EMILIANO GRILLO: Not really. I've been hitting the ball great. It gives the European guys a little advantage. You can see there's three or four guys that play the European Tour in the top 20, and that tells you a bit how easy or how much easier it gets that we play a lot of weeks in the wind, and to come here and we play a little‑‑ a fairly wide open golf course, and it makes it definitely easier. I think we are a little bit on top of the other guys that are playing in those conditions, and that's the reason why we are there in the top 20 without making some putts. But I think if I'm making good putts more, I could have a chance. Q. You talked about doors that could open. Is the goal to get a PGA TOUR card? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, of course. I've always looked into America, into the U.S., and I've always looked into here. Played my junior career, all my amateur events here, never played in Europe. First time in Europe was for the first stage of Q‑school, and it was‑‑ I would say it was a bonus to get there because I never looked at it. I had a chance to play in the British Am and never went there. But yeah, I always looked to play here, and that's why I'm here, to try to get a win and try to get a full status out here. Q. Is the European Tour, would you say it's a good education? EMILIANO GRILLO: Definitely. Definitely, without a doubt. I think I've learned more over there in a year than I've done all my career, all my life. I've been playing for 17 years, and I've learned more in one than 16 years. It's been a great experience, and that's why I think I've learned quicker than most of the guys out here. Q. When you travel, are you on your own? Are your parents with you? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, my girlfriend travels with me a lot when it's a long trip she stays home. But yeah, it's good to have some company, especially her, on the tournaments, especially when you play bad. When you play good, it's easier. Q. When you're playing the European Tour your South American friends, do you guys hang out together? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, we play a little practice rounds together. We try to stick together. We go to dinner always together. We try to stay as a group. It's difficult to travel, especially on the European Tour, when you go to Asia, South Africa, you go everywhere. It definitely makes it easy when you have company and good friends. Q. You're still based in Bradenton? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, actually flew from there. I go back and forth, and I try to pick a schedule to not travel too much. Q. Would you rather get your World Ranking to 50‑‑ EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, that's the idea. I've been thinking many ways to get up here, to try to find a way to reach the PGA TOUR, but I think the right way is to be playing the European Tour, keep learning, gain experience, and with the time, I'll probably make it here. Q. As much time as you spend with Angel Cabrera, do you guys talk about the Olympics or anything? EMILIANO GRILLO: No, he plays here, I played over there. I've only played with him once or twice so far, and we don't talk much. I know it's going to be a big deal. It looks like it's going to be the two of us. Hopefully he will play and hopefully I will play, and hopefully we can enjoy it. Q. Do you look up to him for what he's done? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, definitely. Not many people has won two majors, especially in South America. He's a great person, and he's helping a lot of people now back home with the flood that they have back home. You know, he's won two majors, and that's a lot, if you think about it, a U.S. Open and a Masters. I think those are my two favorites. Q. All the steps you have taken to put you in a great place with your golf, but way back when, when you were so young and kind of setting out on your own, were there some tough times? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, definitely. I remember one time where I spent a month by myself playing amateur events. That was at a point where I was speaking loud to myself, so I was kind of‑‑ that was one of the roughest times. Q. How old were you? EMILIANO GRILLO: I was like 16. 16, 17. I thought I was going crazy, but if you spend a month by yourself playing golf, you're probably crazy. It was a good experience. I knew what I was doing. I knew I was trying to get ready for the future, and I few this was going to be my life, and I was doing everything for it. Q. Are you a scoreboard watcher, or do you think down the stretch you're going to play aggressively tomorrow? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, definitely. I think everybody is going to play aggressive tomorrow. Everybody wants to win, and I think it's not ideal to go, of course, for every pin and every impossible shot to make it. That's not the right way. But I don't think the aggressive is the right word. I think smart is the right one. Of course you have to back it up with some good swings and good shots and good putts. Q. Are you surprised that the scoring isn't as low compared to‑‑ EMILIANO GRILLO: It's been windy. It's been windy, and the course is not that easy. The wind is I think the hardest factor that we have in golf, and it's the cold weather, but you guys don't have that. Q. What do you enjoy most about the game? You're obviously chasing it around the world and you're climbing the World Rankings, but what about the game do you really love? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, it's a hard one. I think it's the hardest sport ever, on the planet. That's what makes it great. You have to be very precise. You have to be very focused. You cannot leave anything for granted at this point, and that's what makes it great. Q. When you were growing up, you chose golf, but what other sports are popular besides soccer? EMILIANO GRILLO: In Argentina? Football, soccer. Q. Tennis? EMILIANO GRILLO: It's popular because it's cheap and you can play anywhere. There's a lot of tennis courts back home, but football is the most popular one, and you can play it anywhere. Q. Where do you think golf ranks? EMILIANO GRILLO: I would say golf, it's fifth maybe. I think football, tennis, rugby and‑‑ might be some sports I'm forgetting, but it's definitely behind. It's not so popular. It's more expensive. Q. What made you start the game? EMILIANO GRILLO: My dad used to play. My dad used to play before I started, and then he took me back into playing, and he started playing the game, my mother started playing, and we created a little group that we used to play all the weeks. The weekends we used to play tournaments. That's how I started basically. Q. Did you not have the right facilities where you grew up? EMILIANO GRILLO: No, no. Q. So you went to Buenos Aires? EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah. José Coceres is from there, Gomez, he's from there. We don't have the greatest facilities, but we've got a great golf course, and they teach you how to hit the ball, how to play. It's very tight and a lot of doglegs, and it makes you a great ball striker, like they are. You know, the putting really, I think we learned outside of our city, and then they both live in Buenos Aires, and that's basically how they got here, not from there. Q. The world amateur that was played in Argentina 2010, there were a lot of players that are already playing the big Tour. Who were your rivals then that you consider? EMILIANO GRILLO: I played a lot with Jordan, with Justin Thomas, Patrick Rodgers. I know every single player who's now arriving into the world of golf now. Everybody is talking, I knew them before, and I know them. They play great. I play a lot with them, with every player that you're hearing now, and it was a great experience. I think that's why I stayed so competitive, because I was playing with these guys. Q. So are you in a rush to get on the PGA TOUR? EMILIANO GRILLO: Not really. I've already been on the European Tour for four years and I haven't tried to rush it to get over here, to get on the Web.com or anything. I've actually won the Argentina Open, and that gave me a chance to get on the Web.com, but it's not my idea. I've been enjoying it out there in Europe and going to stay playing out there. Q. Do you feel right there with that class, Patrick and Jordan? EMILIANO GRILLO: Well, Jordan has evolved. He's another deal. I mean, he's going to be top 10 in the world, I always knew, and I always tried to play with him, against him in practice rounds, and I always saw that. But we are all trying to get there. It's not easy. I've been working really hard, and I cannot break 100 in the world. I'm giving everything, and I'm practicing very hard, and I'm kind of seeing the results for that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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