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 t.