J.T. Poston (-22) achieved victory in the Shriners Children’s Open in the early hours, the fourth tournament of the autumn calendar on the PGA Tour. The ‘postman’ knocked three times on the door of triumphs in the American circuit, following his previous titles at the Wyndham Championship in 2019 and the John Deere Classic in 2022. A trophy that, in addition to a cheque for 1.26 million dollars, guarantees him a card for the next two seasons, up to and including 2026, and secures him a place in the Masters Tournament and the PGA Championship in 2025.
The 31-year-old golfer from North Carolina had already secured his spot in the designated events of the next season by finishing among the top 50 in the overall FedEx Cup standings. In other words, in these tournaments known as the FedEx Fall, his position on the circuit is not at stake. However, ending the year by adding a third title to his record and strengthening his position on the tour is undoubtedly a significant boost for his professional career. A victory crafted on a long Sunday that concluded with a winning putt of just over a metre.
A putt to win on the 72nd hole 🏆@JT_ThePostman is back in the winner's circle @ShrinersOpen! pic.twitter.com/OOTr6GeSIs
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 21, 2024
The Postman, as he is affectionately called, was one of the players who, due to lack of light, could not complete his ‘moving day’ on Saturday. He went out to play at 11 a.m. on Sunday with five holes ahead to finish his third round before tackling the fourth. It was precisely there where he began to build his path to the title. Three birdies between the 14th and 18th at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas to break the tie with Doug Ghim (-21) with whom he had finished Saturday, facing the last 18 holes of the tournament as the man to beat.
Ghim tried with a final card of 65 strokes, two less than the 67 shot by the successor of Tom Kim in the tournament’s honours list in the city of casinos, but it was not enough to make up precisely those three strokes that Poston had gained in the late closure of the third round. German Matti Schmid (-19) and Puerto Rican Rico Hoey (-19), each with 66 strokes on Sunday, shared the third final place, three behind the champion and without options in the final stretch of the tournament.
"This is why we're here. This is why we play." ❤️@JT_ThePostman | @ShrinersOpen pic.twitter.com/3KEfcZYtdO
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 21, 2024
The postman added a bit of excitement to the outcome by committing a bogey on the 17th, a par three where he fell well short from the tee and didn’t even reach the edge of the green. But par on the 18th was enough, and although he also had to work for it, he did not let the opportunity slip away. Ball to the fairway from the tee, a safe approach shot to the centre of the green, leaving himself a putt of about 14 metres to the flag, and two putts, the last of four feet, just over a metre, to join the club of three-time champions on the PGA Tour.
For Poston, this victory also had a special and different flavour compared to his previous two career wins on the circuit. It was the first since becoming a father. He hadn’t played since the BMW Championship last August and hadn’t made a top 10 since the RBC Heritage in April. But his daughter Katherine Scott Scottie Poston, born in March, has brought good fortune.
