From start to finish, JT Poston was the pure class of the field at the 2022 John Deere Classic as he scored his second PGA Tour victory on Sunday. Becoming just the third player in tournament history to successfully go wire-to-wire, Poston was able to carry last week’s momentum from TPC River Highlands to TPC Deere Run.
Finishing runner-up at the Travelers Championship, Poston opened his John Deere Classic in perfect fashion with a 9-under 62. Never looking back, the 29-year-old went on to post rounds of 65-67-69 to finish at 21-under and three shots off the lead. -his close pursuers Christian Bezuidenhout and Emiliano Grillo.
Despite holding a three-shot lead entering the final round and winning by the stated margin, there were some hairy moments on his opening nine. After shooting off the tee with three consecutive birdies, Poston began to take on water when he made back-to-back bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes.
It was a trying save on the par-3 seventh that steadied the ship as he would make nine straight pars, forcing other players to attack pins as he rode momentum. Poston added another birdie at the par-5 17th for good measure and extended his lead back to where he started the day.
Poston was cool, calm and collected, never blinking in the face of adversity. Seeing his lead dwindle to just one stroke on the inside nine, he remained undaunted and as a reward for his hard work will be on the PGA Tour for years to come. Not only will he earn entry into tournaments like the Masters and Players Championship, but also the 150th Open in just two weeks. Ranked 112th in the FedEx Cup just 14 days ago, Poston now finds himself 22nd in the season race and among the game’s titans. Grade: A+
Here’s a breakdown of the rest of the 2022 John Deere Classic standings
T2. Emiliano Grillo (-18): It has been a difficult season for the Argentine as he has missed 12 cuts in 23 starts. However, on closer inspection, Grillo has already made six of his last seven cuts and turned in some quality performances at the RBC Canadian Open and Memorial Tournament. He managed to cut Poston’s lead to a stroke on the back nine, but his inexplicable bogey on the short par-4 14th will be seen as the reason for his shortcomings. As a consolation prize, Grillo climbed 62 spots in the FedEx Cup rankings to No. 85 and punched his ticket to the 150th Open at St. Andrews. Degree: A
T4. Chris Gotterup (-17): The Haskins Award winner was fantastic in his John Deere Classic debut. Entering the tournament through a sponsor exemption, Gotterup wrote a letter to the tournament committee and received his request. That result puts him in the finals of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals and nearly did the same for the Open Championship as the top three finishers in the top 10 booked their trips to St. Andrews. While Jordan Spieth and Bryson DeChambeau began their careers with victories at TPC Deere Run, Gotterup did the same, albeit without the hardware to show for it.
“Yeah, just more confirmation that I really do belong here,” Gotherup said. “And to be honest, I haven’t had my greatest stuff this week. I hit it amazing, but I just putted pretty bad until I got down the stretch. So yes, you pick things up along the way. Yes, I’m drawing on my experiences like Puerto Rico and the last couple.” Grade: A
T6. Danny McCarthy (-16): Felt like the perfect storm for McCarthy coming into the week, but it wasn’t meant to be in the end. A member of the penultimate group on Sunday, the University of Virginia product went the wrong way early in his round and will likely be surprised about it. Despite the recent disappointment, McCarthy is still in the midst of the best season of his career and has bounced back nicely from missing the Travelers Championship. He’s often described as a “grinder,” so while he’s shown he’s capable of competing in these birdie-fests, his top-10 finishes at the Memorial and the US Open might suggest his first victory is coming more difficult. golf course. Grade: B+
T16. Sahit Tigala (-12): He narrowly missed the cut but showed some determination after opening his John Deere Classic with a 3-over 74. Following back-to-back rounds of 65 and capping his week with a 68, Tigala climbed into the top 20 by the end at the tournament. With that effort, the Rookie of the Year candidate has now made 11 straight cuts on his own, with his last weekend miss coming at the Players Championship in March. Although it can be erratic at times, these peaks and troughs have a way of smoothing out over the course of the tournament. A two-time podium finisher in 2022, including runner-up at the Travelers Championship, it’s only a matter of time before Theegala scores his first PGA Tour victory. Degree: B
Rick Gehman, Greg DuCharme and Kyle Porter recap the John Deere Classic and discuss the biggest takeaways from LIV Golf Portland. Follow and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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