- Associated Press - Wednesday, June 15, 2011

BETHESDA, MD. (AP) - Emiliano Grillo could have been playing an amateur golf tournament in upstate New York on Wednesday. Instead he came down to the nation’s capital for the slim chance of playing in the U.S. Open.

Grillo is an 18-year-old from Argentina who failed to qualify for his first major when he three-putted in a playoff at the sectional qualifier in Tennessee. He learned at the start of the week he was the first alternate at Congressional.

His choice was to play the Monroe Invitational Championship in Rochester, N.Y., or sit around Congressional for two days with hopes that someone withdraws. As an alternate, he is not allowed to play a practice round at Congressional. So if he manages to get into the field, he would play his first U.S. Open without ever seeing the course.

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