Poston wins – J.T. Poston squandered a four-shot advantage during the rain-delayed Memorial at Dublin, Ohio, forced a playoff by salvaging par on the 18th, and then beat Ryan Gerard on the second extra hole.
DUBLIN, Ohio — J.T. Poston walked to the 18th knowing the cushion he built in the rain-delayed Memorial had all but evaporated. The morning had delivered him a four-shot lead. The back half of his round took it away. By the time his chance arrived on the final hole of regulation. one precise swing of a putter was all that stood between finishing Sunday and continuing it.
Poston rolled in a 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th to salvage an even-par 72 and force a playoff with Ryan Gerard. Then he carried that momentum into extra holes, winning on the second when Gerard missed a 6-foot par putt.
Gerard, briefly in front after a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, closed with a 68 and held his composure for much of the final four hours. He didn’t really make a mistake until the final putt that determined the tournament.
The playoff ended an exhausting. drawn-out day for both players — 33 holes total. including 13 holes played Sunday morning to complete the third round. plus two playoff holes. For Poston, the stakes were not abstract. He hadn’t finished in the top 20 in his previous 13 tournaments this year. and now he delivered the biggest win of his career. He even found time for a handshake with tournament host Jack Nicklaus.
“A lot of holes, a lot of grit,” Poston said. “Obviously, didn’t play my best first 12, 13 holes, but I told myself I knew I was going to shake Jack’s hand walking off 18, and I wanted to be proud of that handshake regardless of how it turned out. So I’m thrilled it happened this way.”
The win carried immediate consequences that go well beyond the $4 million prize. Poston earned a spot in the next three majors with one great week — high enough in the world ranking to avoid a 36-hole qualifier Monday for the U.S. Open, the one British Open spot available this week, and a return to the Masters.
By the time play settled, Poston and Gerard had pulled away from a five-way tie for the lead that had been hanging over the tournament with an hour to go. They finished at 12-under 276.
A number of players were closing hard behind them. Tommy Fleetwood drilled a fairway metal to 5 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th. Wyndham Clark made a late surge. Sam Burns stayed in reach, though the drama tightened late.
Clark. after making birdie on the 16th to reach 11 under. closed with two pars for a 67 and finished alone in third. one shot out of the playoff. Fleetwood hit into the rough with his first three shots on the 17th and had to scramble for bogey; he shot 68. Burns also missed the 17th fairway. and his next shot tumbled down the rough and settled on the bridge over a small creek. He hit from there to 40 feet; his long par putt peeked into the cup and stayed out. A 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th narrowly missed. He shot 69 and tied for fourth with Fleetwood.
Scottie Scheffler. attempting to join Tiger Woods with a third straight victory at the Memorial. was never really in the mix. He closed with a 71 and tied for 12th. but said he felt he did enough right over the weekend that his game was headed in the right direction. His next stop is the U.S. Open, where a victory would give him the career Grand Slam.
Rory McIlroy’s Memorial run ended with a frustrating statistic: he is now 0 for 14 at the Memorial. He birdied his first three holes before getting caught in dense rough that slowed his momentum. He shot 68 and tied for 12th.
Two storm stoppages Saturday turned Memorial Sunday into a marathon, and Poston’s round reflected the grind. He did some of his best work in the morning. running off three straight birdies on the back nine for a 69 and a four-shot lead. A long three-putt bogey on the third disrupted him. and as Burns. Gerard. and Clark began to close. Poston started losing ground — another three-putt bogey on the ninth from long range. a bogey from deep rough on the par-3 12th. and a weak par putt from 10 feet on the 13th that cost him the lead for the first time.
From there, he steadied himself. An 18-foot birdie putt on the 14th helped. He followed with an up-and-down from the bunker for birdie on the par-5 15th. On the 17th, he made a 12-foot par save when he couldn’t afford another mistake.
The final hole did the rest. Poston forced the playoff with that 7-foot birdie on the 18th — and then ended it with the kind of pressure putt that turns a long day into a career moment.
J.T. Poston Ryan Gerard Memorial tournament playoff Dublin Ohio Jack Nicklaus U.S. Open British Open Masters
Golf is just putting and vibes lol.
Wait so he had a 4-shot lead and then blew it? But somehow still won on the second extra hole?? That’s kinda wild. Rain delay makes everything weird.
I feel like Nicklaus wouldn’t have let it end like that, you know? Like the handshake thing sounds scripted. Also 33 holes total?? That seems like more than a tournament should be… I’m confused how the playoff timing works with all the rain.
That 7-foot birdie on 18 saved him, but then Gerard misses a 6-foot par putt and Poston wins… so basically the whole thing came down to tiny putts. I hate that for Gerard though, like having a 40-foot birdie then losing on a 6-footer is brutal. Also “biggest win of his career” after not top 20 in 13 tournaments?? golf is random I guess.