Poston Holds On for Narrow Victory at Shriners Children’s Open
In a nail-biting finish, J.T. Poston secured his third PGA Tour title with a one-shot win at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas. Poston’s 4-under 67 on Sunday was just enough to hold off a surging Doug Ghim, who closed with a 65 to finish runner-up.
A Comfortable Lead Turns into a Thrilling Finish
Poston had built a comfortable three-shot lead after 54 holes, thanks to a burst of birdies on Saturday morning and afternoon. He continued to pull away on Sunday, making three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine to lead by four shots with three holes to play. However, a missed 6-foot birdie putt on the 16th and a 4-foot par putt on the 17th opened the door for Ghim to mount a challenge.
Ghim’s Late Charge Falls Just Short
Ghim eagled the par-5 ninth to pull within one shot, but missed a pair of birdie putts from 8 feet and failed to get up-and-down for birdie on the reachable par-4 15th. Despite two-putting the par-5 16th and picking up another shot when Poston bogeyed the par 3, Ghim’s birdie on the final hole came up just short. Poston lagged his 45-foot birdie putt to 4 feet and calmly sank it to secure the win.
Poston’s Victory Secures Masters Return and Top 50 Ranking
The win assures Poston of returning to the Masters for the third straight year and moves him back inside the top 50 in the world. It also gives him an early start at Kapalua for The Sentry to start the new season. Poston had been playing for the first time since the BMW Championship, wanting to spend time at home with his daughter born in March.
Strong Finishes for Schmid and Kim
Matti Schmid continued his strong play in the FedEx Cup Fall, closing with a 66 to tie for third with Rico Hoey. Schmid has now moved up to No. 77 in the FedEx Cup standings. Michael Kim closed with a 62 to tie for fifth, moving from No. 129 to No. 112 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Next Stop: Japan
The PGA Tour next heads to Japan for the Zozo Championship, a 78-man field with no cut, before returning to North America for three tournaments to close out the season.
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