POSTON WINS MEMORIAL AS MCILROY TIED 12th
J.T. Poston with tournament host Jack Nicklaus after winning The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, in Ohio (Photo: PGA Tour)
J.T. Poston won the Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour after edging Ryan Gerard in a playoff, while Rory McIlroy closed with a four-under-par 68 to finish tied for 12th at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio where Jack Nicklaus is the tournament host.
Poston and Gerard both ended regulation at 12 under, with Wyndham Clark one shot back in third, while McIlroy’s late push lifted him to four under for the week after rounds of 71, 74, 71 and 68.
For McIlroy, the finish was respectable rather than threatening. The Northern Ireland star opened with a 71 that featured an early double bogey but recovered well enough to keep himself in touch. He said after that first round that patience was essential on a course that punished even slight errors.
“I think just understanding that there’s 69 more holes to go in the golf tournament and there’s a long way to go and a lot of things can happen,” McIlroy said after battling back on Thursday. By the end of the week, that recovery proved to be the shape of his tournament: enough quality to climb, but not enough to contend seriously.
His final-round 68 was his best score of the week and contained the sort of sharp scoring that had been missing earlier in the tournament. McIlroy covered the front nine in 32 and signed off with a 68 that moved him into a share of 12th.
Poston held his nerve to take one of the PGA Tour’s signature events after Gerard pushed him all the way. The winning score of 12 under reflected a week in which Muirfield Village remained exacting but playable, rewarding disciplined iron play and patience.
Trailing by one stroke entering Muirfield Village’s renowned 18th, Poston found the fairway knowing that he needed to make birdie. An eight-iron approach finished eight feet from the hole, and while Gerard missed his long-range birdie putt, Poston’s held his nerve to hole his birdie putt.
In the playoff, Poston won at the second hole to secure his fourth PGA Tour win.
“I told myself on 14 tee — I was one back with five to go, still felt like I had a chance,” Poston said. “I needed to play the last five holes really well. And I told myself I knew I was going to be shaking Mr. Nicklaus' hand walking off 18 no matter what, and I want to be proud of the effort when I did.”
Poston also earned place into the US Open and The Open.