The Lights Seemed Too Bright, Until J.T. Poston Dimmed Them on 14 Tee
· Yahoo Sports
On Thursday, he failed to capitalize on birdie looks despite stellar iron play. A day later, when those same opportunities arose in blustery conditions that lowered the ceiling for every other player at Muirfield Village, the hole looked like a bucket. When the weather-shortened third round concluded Sunday, a back-nine turkey put him four shots ahead.
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But when it came time to close, call it the moment being too big or nerves taking their toll, J.T. Poston’s putter went ice-cold.
Missed 14-footer on one. A 15-footer on two. An eight-footer on three. A six-footer on nine. A nine-footer on 13. And scattered throughout the then-3-over scorecard were other missed chances and sloppy shots at inopportune times. Until the final hour, it looked like it’d be a week to look back on as a wasted shot at changing his career.
But over the last five holes of Jack Nicklaus’ pride and joy, Poston turned back the clock a few days.
He drained an 18-foot birdie putt on 14. He splashed a greenside-bunker shot to three feet at the par-5 15th for another. An up-and-down from 93 yards on 17 to stay within reach. And, finally, a stuffed approach into the challenging last to give him a chance to win within moments.
Ryan Gerard had other plans, pouring in a five-foot putt for par to force a playoff. But if you told Poston on the 14th tee that in an hour he’d have a shot at winning in extra time, he may have jugged you with joy.
But when the stage was clear, and eight feet laid between him and a handshake with the tournament host, Poston from yesteryear returned. He seemed to be uncomfortable over the ball, repeatedly tapping his feet and quickly glancing at the hole. The result was a tentative stroke and a push to the right.
When the pair arrived at the 18th green for the third time in 30 minutes, it was Gerard who baulked, missing a five-footer for par, which rolled out the red carpet for Poston. An open door he happily walked through.
With one three-footer, Poston became the champion of one of the PGA TOUR’s crown jewels, in front of the man who brought it to life. After the battle, the fight he showed down the stretch, I can’t even begin to think of what he was feeling in that moment.
“On 14 tee—I was one back with five to go, still felt like I had a chance,” Poston said. “I needed to play the last five holes really well. And I told myself I knew I was going to be shaking Mr. Nicklaus's hand walking off 18 no matter what, and I want to be proud of the effort when I did. So just to do it the way that I did, birdieing three of the last five, is a dream come true and something I'll certainly carry with me the rest of my career.”
And like all Memorial champions, he had his moment with Jack—for a third year in a row, so did a Scottie.
“(Poston) had to play 30 holes to finish up today,” Nicklaus said. “You know, to keep that and then all of a sudden lose his lead and then be strong enough to come back and do it again. You did it a couple times today, and that was pretty special.”
I’ve always thought of Poston as your favorite golfer’s favorite golfer. A flusher's flusher. A guy that would clip off some wins here and there, and be an answer to “name a random TOUR winner” in a few decades. But this win shows that he’s capable of doing some big-game hunting, while fighting off some demons in the process.
Golf is the best sport in the world because of stories like this. What a freakin’ win for J.T. Poston.