06/07/26 05:57:00
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06/07 17:56 CDT J.T. Poston loses a 4-shot lead and comes up clutch to win
Memorial in a playoff
J.T. Poston loses a 4-shot lead and comes up clutch to win Memorial in a playoff
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) --- J.T. Poston built a four-shot lead Sunday morning in the
rain-delayed Memorial and won the biggest tournament of his career. It just
turned out to be a lot more work than he would have imagined.
Poston, who lost his lead after 12 holes, made a 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th
hole to salvage an even-par 72 and force a playoff with Ryan Gerard, and then
won on the second extra hole when Gerard missed a 6-foot par putt.
Gerard made a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to briefly take the lead,
closed with a 68 and didn't really make a mistake over the final four hours
until the final putt.
So ended the longest day for both of them --- 33 holes, including 13 in the
morning to complete the third round and two playoff holes. But what a payoff
for Poston in so many ways. He had not finished in the top 20 in his previous
13 tournaments this year. And then he delivered the goods and celebrated with a
handshake with tournament host Jack Nicklaus.
The perks went 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.
They finished at 12-under 276 after Poston and Gerard pulled away from what had
been a five-way tie for the lead with an hour to go in the tournament.
Tommy Fleetwood drilled a fairway metal to 5 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th.
Wyndham Clark made a late surge. Sam Burns was never too far behind. All of
them were at 11 under heading to the final few holes.
Clark, who made birdie on the 16th to reach 11 under, closed with two pars for
a 67. He wound up 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 back down the rough and settled on the bridge over a small
creek. He hit that to 40 feet, and his long par putt peeked into the cup and
somehow stayed out. A 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th narrowly missed. He shot
69 and tie for fourth with Fleetwood.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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