J.T. Poston capped a rain-delayed third round with a 3-under 69 and surged into a four-shot lead at the Memorial, turning three wedge-driven swings into three straight birdies as competitors struggled on a softer Muirfield Village course.
DUBLIN, Ohio — J.T. Poston walked onto Muirfield Village with the lead no longer secure, tied for it after a rain-delayed morning. Then, in a span of three swings with a wedge, the Memorial shifted.
Poston fired three straight birdies with “superb shots,” flipping the tone of the tournament on the way to finishing the rain-delayed third round with a 3-under 69. By the time the final round was set in motion, he had built a four-shot lead after starting the day tied for the lead at 12-under 204.
He also had something else—time. A few hours before beginning the final round, Poston had the kind of window that usually belongs to someone chasing a milestone. He’s going after the biggest win of his career.
Ryan Gerard, meanwhile, found himself dragged back as the course played softer when the third round resumed. He posted a 72 after a stretch that included a series of pars and two bogeys, leaving him four shots behind.
Sam Burns had a moment that quickly became a weight. On the par-5 11th, he was swallowed up by the rough for a double bogey. He steadied himself with a pair of birdies, but the damage was already done—he was five behind the lead heading into the final round.
Scottie Scheffler tried to close the gap, but the scoreline offered no miracle. He carded a 68 and still sat nine shots behind with 18 holes to play, reaching for a rare place in Memorial history. Scheffler is trying to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win the Memorial three years in a row.
His weekend momentum had taken a turn earlier, right before another storm delay halted play on Saturday. Scheffler played a six-hole stretch around the turn in 5-under par and had a long eagle putt before he three-putted for par. He took bogey on the par-3 12th and put his tee shot in the water for bogey on the 14th.
By the next morning. the conditions looked friendlier—greens more receptive and little wind—and Poston made sure the difference showed. After the turn. his wedges turned into momentum: he hit a wedge to 8 feet on the 13th with a back pin to make birdie and take the lead. On the 14th. his wedge spun to 3 feet. setting up the kind of look that changes how a player feels over the next few holes. Then he hit wedge to 13 feet on the 15th for another birdie.
In a tournament where the weather already disrupted rhythm. Poston’s control in that stretch created something tangible for everyone watching: a clear gap and plenty of stakes on the line. A victory would be more than enough to get him out of U.S. Open qualifying on Monday, and also get him into the British Open.
For now, the question in Dublin is simple—whether anyone can catch a player who turned a tied start into a four-shot cushion on the kind of shots that decide afternoons when the course stops being forgiving.
J.T. Poston Memorial tournament Muirfield Village four-shot lead rain delay Scottie Scheffler Sam Burns Ryan Gerard U.S. Open qualifying British Open