Poston wins – J.T. Poston rallied in the rain-delayed Memorial with an even-par 72, forced a playoff with Ryan Gerard, and then won on the second extra hole after Gerard missed a 6-foot par putt. Poston’s comeback delivered the biggest title of his career and moved him into
DUBLIN, Ohio — In the rain-delayed Memorial, J.T. Poston could feel the day slipping away.
After losing his lead through 12 holes, he still had one shot to salvage momentum. On the 18th hole. he rolled in a 7-foot birdie putt to pull himself back to even-par 72 and force a playoff with Ryan Gerard. Poston then capped the comeback two extra holes later. winning on the second extra hole when Gerard missed a 6-foot par putt.
Gerard had his own late answer. He briefly took the lead with a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, then closed with a 68 and didn’t really make a mistake over the final four hours until the decisive par putt.
It was, for both players, the longest day at 33 holes. That included 13 holes in the morning to complete the third round, plus two playoff holes. Still, the relief on Poston’s side was visible as he celebrated with a handshake from 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 prize was more than the tournament’s top reward of $4 million. Poston also secured a spot in the next three majors with one strong week. finishing high enough in the world ranking to avoid a 36-hole qualifier Monday for the U.S. Open, earning the one British Open spot available this week, and returning to the Masters.
Poston and Gerard finished at 12-under 276 after they pulled away from what had been a five-way tie for the lead with an hour to go in the tournament.
Behind them, the late movement felt relentless. Tommy Fleetwood drilled a fairway metal to 5 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th. Wyndham Clark made a late surge as well. while Sam Burns stayed in the picture without ever too much distance separating him from the leaders. The group was at 11 under heading into the final few holes.
Clark, who birdied the 16th to get to 11 under, closed with two pars for a 67 to finish alone in third, one shot out of the playoff. Fleetwood had a rough stretch late: he hit into the rough with his first three shots on the 17th and had to scramble for bogey, then shot 68.
Burns also struggled at the wrong time on the 17th, missing the fairway. His next shot tumbled back down into the rough and settled on the bridge over a small creek. He hit from there to 40 feet, and his long par putt glanced near the cup before staying out. A 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th narrowly missed. Burns shot 69 and tied for fourth with Fleetwood.
Scottie Scheffler, chasing a third straight Memorial title to match Tiger Woods, was never in the mix. He closed with a 71 and tied for 12th. though he said he felt he did enough over the weekend to believe 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 wait for another Memorial result continues. He is now 0 for 14 at the tournament. McIlroy birdied his first three holes, but got caught in dense rough that slowed his momentum. He shot 68 and tied for 12th.
The storm stoppages on Saturday turned Sunday into a marathon, and Poston’s best work came early in the restart. He ran off three straight birdies on the back nine for a 69 and a four-shot lead.
But the pressure did what it does: as Burns and Gerard and Clark began to inch closer. Poston started missing fairways and losing ground. He recorded 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. falling behind for the first time.
Then he leaned on the exact kind of shots that decide a major tournament day. On the 14th, he struck an 18-foot birdie putt. On the par-5 15th, he converted an up-and-down from the bunker for birdie. On the 17th, when mistakes were costly, he saved par from 12 feet even after he couldn’t afford another slip.
By the time Gerard’s putt on the second extra hole came up just short, the rain-delayed Memorial had already stretched into a story of patience and survival. For Poston, the handshake on the final hole didn’t arrive easily — but it arrived exactly when he needed it.
J.T. Poston Ryan Gerard Memorial tournament playoff Jack Nicklaus U.S. Open qualification British Open spot Masters return Tommy Fleetwood Wyndham Clark Sam Burns Scottie Scheffler Rory McIlroy