It's never easy on the PGA Tour, but JT Poston somehow persevered and won the Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas on Sunday.
He shot a 4-under 67 and made a 4-foot par on the 18th hole to secure the victory by one stroke over Doug Jim. Ghim, who started the third round behind Poston, shot a 6-under 65 and fought hard to snatch a come-from-behind victory. He also birdied two of the final three holes, making Poston sweat. And he was sweating too. Poston missed 4 feet for par on the par-3 17th, which gave Gim an opportunity on the 18th. It also put a ton of pressure on Poston's shoulders.
So Poston briefly held a one-shot lead after Gim held 6 feet for birdie on the 18th. 4 foot par He was sitting between his third career win on the PGA Tour. This is the very definition of a knee knocker.
“I told myself this is your dream,” Poston said of the final putt.
“You made the putt to win on the PGA Tour. Try to forget the last two. Neither of them were very good strokes. You made a million of these, just one more.” I told myself I could do it.”
Poston couldn't hit a 6-footer for birdie until he missed the 17th. The former Western Carolina standout experienced his putter go cold at the worst possible time.
“I felt terrible all day,” Poston added.
“I know we had a comfortable lead for most of the day, but it never felt safe. Doug was playing great, so I'm planning on that. I felt it was just that.”
Poston qualified for the BMW Championship in August and finished the regular season in 41st place in the FedEx Cup standings. Therefore, this win at TPC Summerlin has no impact on his playing status in 2025. It's already secured. He plans to compete in all eight signature events next year. But that doesn't make this win any less memorable. This was his first victory as a father, and one he will never forget.
“It means a lot. We worked hard. All three of us worked hard. [my career wins]But this is definitely pretty sweet,” Poston added.
“We had a great fall at home. We had a nice break at the end of the playoffs. Yeah, just being able to stay home and be a dad is the greatest gift. I'm loving it. Yeah, this is… It's pretty sweet.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
