JT Poston blew a four-shot lead before mounting a comeback to win the Memorial in a playoff

JT Poston walked to the 14th tee Sunday at Muirfield Village trailing for the first time since the 17th hole on Friday. The four-shot lead he carried into the final round was gone. He was 3 over on the day.

Everyone was charging. Fleetwood eagled the 15th to briefly take the lead. Clark birdied the 16th to tie. Burns was lurking. Ryan Gerard was playing steady golf and not going anywhere.

At one point there was a five-way tie for the lead at the Memorial Tournament. Five guys. One tournament. Jack Nicklaus watching from the 18th green while his tournament turned into absolute chaos.

JT Poston could have folded. Four-shot leads evaporating on Sunday at a Signature Event with the whole golf world watching is the kind of collapse that defines careers.

The pressure to not be the guy who blew it at Muirfield Village is enormous. Most guys in that position start playing not to lose instead of playing to win and the lead disappears one cautious shot at a time.

JT Poston went the other direction. Three birdies over the final five holes. An 8-iron to 7 feet on the 18th to force a playoff with Gerard. Then he won on the second extra hole when Gerard three-putted from 55 feet and missed a 6-foot par putt. A 72 for the day. 12 under for the tournament. The biggest win of his career.

JT Poston wins the Memorial

J.T. Poston gets his moment @MemorialGolf. pic.twitter.com/08DobK3nNo

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 7, 2026

Not to be for J.T. Poston.

The playoff continues at the Memorial Tournament 👀 pic.twitter.com/oyWok7MpBx

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) June 7, 2026

The 17th Hole Was the Whole Tournament

Poston was in deep rough on 17 and had to lay up short of the creek. He hit a wedge to 12 feet. Meanwhile Gerard, standing on the same hole, drained a 40-foot birdie putt to take the lead outright. Poston had to make the 12-footer just to save par and stay within one shot heading to the 18th.

He poured it in. Dead center. Saved par while Gerard was making a 40-footer for birdie right in front of him. That par putt kept the tournament alive. Without it, Poston goes to 18 down two and the story is about the guy who choked away a four-shot lead. Instead he made the putt, birdied 18, forced the playoff, and won the whole thing. One putt on the 17th hole turned a collapse into a comeback.

The Perks of Winning Were Massive

Beyond the $4 million check, JT Poston earned spots in the next three majors with one week of golf. He’s in the U.S. Open starting next Monday. He captured the one available spot for The Open at Royal Birkdale. He gets into the Masters next April. He moved to 39th in the world rankings. One tournament win at Muirfield Village and his entire schedule for the next year just changed. That’s how big a Memorial victory is.

The Guys Who Came Up Short

Fleetwood hit a fairway metal to 5 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th and briefly held the lead. Then he hit into the rough on three consecutive shots at 17 and made bogey. The tournament was there for him and the 17th hole took it away. Shot 68 and tied for fourth. Brutal finish for a guy who played one of the best shots of the day on 15 and then self-destructed two holes later.

Clark birdied 16 to share the lead and then parred in for a 67. Alone in third, one shot out of the playoff. The steadiest round of anyone in contention but he needed one more birdie and couldn’t find it.

Burns’ par putt on 17 peeked into the cup and somehow stayed out. His birdie attempt on 18 narrowly missed. Shot 69 and tied with Fleetwood for fourth. The margins in golf are insane. Burns misses two putts by millimeters and goes from potential champion to tied for fourth.

Scheffler was trying to join Tiger Woods with a third straight Memorial victory and was never in the mix. Shot 71. Tied for 12th. Said he felt his game was headed in the right direction heading into the U.S. Open where a win would give him the career Grand Slam.

McIlroy birdied his first three holes and then got buried in the rough. Shot 68. Tied for 12th. He’s now 0-for-14 at the Memorial. The tournament just doesn’t like him.

What a Sunday

Five-way tie for the lead on the back nine. A four-shot collapse followed by a three-birdie comeback. A 40-foot birdie putt answered by a 12-foot par save. A playoff decided by a three-putt. Jack Nicklaus watching the whole thing unfold at the 18th green of his tournament. That’s everything you want from a Sunday in golf.

Poston said he’s not a quitter. He proved it. The man blew a four-shot lead, trailed for the first time in two days, and responded with three birdies in five holes to force a playoff and win the biggest tournament of his life. The U.S. Open is next week. Poston will be there after earning his spot on Sunday.

Golf is a wild sport. One putt on the 17th hole at Muirfield Village is the difference between JT Poston being the guy who choked and JT Poston being a Memorial champion with three major invitations in his pocket.

He made the putt. That’s all that matters.

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