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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