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LAS VEGAS (AP) — J.T. Poston used a burst of birdies to build a comfortable lead in the morning and afternoon, first for a three-shot lead after 54 holes and then to give himself a big enough cushion to hold on for a 4-under 67 and a one-shot victory Sunday in the Shriners Children's Open.
Poston never trailed since making a 20-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole when he returned to finish the third round. He had two more birdies for a 66 to build a three-shot lead.
He made three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine of the final round and led by four shots with three holes to play. Poston still had to sweat it out to the very last putt.
Doug Ghim closed with a 65, making a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole at the TPC Summerlin to close within one shot. Poston lagged his 45-foot birdie putt to 4 feet and calmly sank that for his third career PGA Tour title. He finished at 22-under 262.
The winning putt felt a little longer because Poston missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 16th and a 4-foot par putt on the 17th, either of which would have put the tournament away.
“I just told myself, ‘This is what you dream of, a putt to win on the PGA Tour. Try to forget the last two,’” Poston said. “I told myself, ‘I’ve made a million of these. Just do one more.'”
The victory assures Poston of returning to the Masters for the third straight year and moving back inside the top 50 in the world. He was playing for the first time since the BMW Championship, wanting to spend time at home with a daughter born in March.
This was a happy return for the 31-year-old from North Carolina, who already was guaranteed being in the $20 million signature events because he finished among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup. This gives him an early start at Kapalua for The Sentry to start the new season.
Ghim was runner-up, his highest finish on the PGA Tour.
He had his chances. Ghim made eagle on the par-5 ninth to pull within one shot, but he missed a pair of birdie putts from 8 feet and then failed to get up-and-down for birdie on the reachable par-4 15th as Poston was pulling away.
Ghim two-putted the par-5 16th, picked up another shot when Poston bogeyed the par 3 and then birdied the last to force Poston to make one last putt.
Matti Schmid continued his strong play in the FedEx Cup Fall, closing with a 66 to tie for third with Rico Hoey, who also had a 66.
Schmid was No. 125 in the FedEx Cup — the top 125 keep a full PGA Tour card for 2025 — when he tied for 16th in Mississippi, finished fifth last week in Utah and tied for third in Las Vegas. He now is up to No. 77.
Another big consolation prize went to Michael Kim, who closed with a 62 and tied for fifth, moving from No. 129 in the FedEx Cup to No. 112.
Poston felt the entire day was a struggle, even though he went 41 consecutive holes without a bogey until his short miss on the 17th, and led the final 23 holes of the tournament.
“I wasn't quite as sharp with the scoring clubs,” Poston said. “It felt like a grind all day. I know I had a comfortable lead, but I never felt safe. Doug was playing great and I felt like I was just plodding around.”
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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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
