SILVIS, Ill. – J.T. Poston completed a wire-to-wire victory Sunday in the John Deere Classic for his second PGA Tour career win and a spot in the British Open.
Three strokes ahead entering the day at TPC Deere Run, Poston closed with a 2-under-par 69 for a three-stroke margin over fellow British Open qualifiers Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa, who shot a 66, and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (69).
Poston is just the third wire-to-wire winner in the tournament’s history, following Scott Hoch in 1980 and David Frost in 1992. The 29-year-old former Western Carolina University player from Hickory, North Carolina, finished at 21-under 263. He opened 62-65-67.
“It’s just tough to play with the lead,” said Poston, whose first PGA Tour win was at the 2019 Wyndham Championship. “There is just a little bit of added pressure. Wire to wire, pretty much having the lead from Thursday on, I told all the media after every round that I was just trying to stick to my game plan and I wasn’t going to think about it.
“The truth is it’s hard not to think about the finish line and what comes with it, all that comes with getting a win out here.”