Postman delivers: J.T. Poston posts wire-to-wire victory at John Deere Classic
J.T. Poston completed a wire-to-wire victory Sunday at the John Deere Classic. Here’s everything you need to know from the final round at TPC Deere Run:
Leaderboard: J.T. Poston (-21), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-18), Emiliano Grillo (-18), Christopher Gotterup (-17), Scott Stallings (-17)
How it happened: After opening with a 9-under 62 on Thursday, Poston began Sunday’s final round with a three-shot lead. And he wasted no time building his advantage, birdieing each of his first three holes. The first two birdies came from inside of 4 feet while the third was a 24-footer from the fringe at the par-3 third hole. Though Poston made just one birdie after that, his final-round 69 was enough to get the job done. Grillo birdied the par-5 10th hole to pull within a shot, but he bogeyed Nos. 12 and 14 to end his threat. Poston converted an easy birdie from 5 feet at the par-5 17th hole to stretch his lead to three shots, where it would finish.
What it means: The victory marks Poston’s second on the PGA Tour, and it also earns him a spot in The Open at St. Andrews in two weeks. Joining Poston in punching tickets to the Open were Grillo and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Round of the day: Nick Hardy, who is from the Chicago area, closed strong with a 7-under 64. He made two eagles, at Nos. 10 and 14, with the latter coming after Hardy drove the green and had just 5 feet left. Hardy ended up T-30, his fourth straight finish of T-35 or better on Tour. He is now No. 135 in FedExCup points as he looks to make a playoff push.
Shot of the day: Kevin Streelman aced the 189-yard, par-3 12th hole, the second hole-in-one of Streelman’s PGA Tour career.
Biggest disappointment: Denny McCarthy. While McCarthy notched his third top-10 finish in his last four starts, he could only manage an even-par 71 on Sunday, and to make matters worse, he lipped out a 4-footer for par at the last to cost himself an Open berth.