Emiliano Grillo and Scottie Scheffler leveraged television coverage of Shinnecock Hills to inform their U.S. Open preparations. This unconventional strategy proved effective on Saturday, with both players posting the only under-par rounds. Grillo’s 67 and Scheffler’s 69 highlighted the challenging conditions, influencing their approach for Sunday’s final round.
Shinnecock Hills presented significant difficulty, with only two players breaking par on Saturday after 36 had done so across the first two days. The course’s crowned greens, severe slopes, and unpredictable winds demanded precise course management. Players like Grillo found an edge by observing early rounds. “There’s a couple TVs in the locker room; dining there’s like six TVs —it’s hard to miss it,” Grillo stated. This allowed them to anticipate pin positions and how the ball would react on landing. He said: “It’s kind of like seeing the test before you actually have to take it.”
Grillo, teeing off at 10:33 a.m., watched the broadcast to understand the evolving course conditions. He witnessed early players struggle, including Dylan Wu’s eight and Chris Gotterup’s difficulties on the second green. “Some of the hole locations —hole location on 2 with the wind off the left —you kind of know what you’re going to find out there, and it’s kind of nice seeing that on TV before going out. That always helps,” Grillo explained. This insight contributed to his low-round 67. Scheffler also executed well, carding a 69, demonstrating the value of detailed observation.
Scheffler, now six strokes behind the leader, plans to continue this observation on Sunday. His focus remains on the final round, which also marks his son’s birthday and his own 30th. He confirmed his Sunday routine: “Chase around my son for a bit. Sam [Burns] should be at the house for a while as well, and we’ll have breakfast and hang out. Yeah, watch a little golf, see how the course is playing.” His pursuit of a fifth major title and the career Grand Slam hinges on his final-round performance at Shinnecock.
