JT Poston goes wire-to-wire at John Deere Classic

J.T. Poston never flinched.

He went wire-to-wire in winning his second career PGA Tour title at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois.

“It is hard” he said, “having the lead that for that long, it’s hard not to think about it and think about that finish line.”

Poston closed with a 2-under 69 at TPC Deere Run, three strokes better than Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Emiliano Grillo, and joined Scott Hoch (1980) and David Frost (1992) as the third player in tournament history to lead from start to finish. Poston, 29, grabbed sole possession of the lead at the third hole of the second round and didn’t take his foot off the gas, posting a 72-hole total of 21-under 263.

When Poston wins, he has a knack for playing well for all 72 holes. In his previous win at the 2019 Wyndham Championship, Poston went 72 holes without a bogey.

“I think the beauty of J.T. is never gets too high with the highs or too low with the lows. He just kind of stays pretty steady,” two-time major champion Zach Johnson said. “He’s not quite Jason Dufner, but he’s close.”

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But Poston said despite his unflappable calm – he showed no emotion when his 67-foot birdie putt at 12 collided with the flagstick and instead of disappearing in the hole ricocheted 5 feet away – the competitive fires burn within.

“I was just trying to breathe,” he said. “There were a lot more nerves than the first few days and I was just trying to battle through them. I think after today, after this week I know I can play with those nerves and win.”

Golf fitness instructor Randy Myers has worked with Poston since he turned pro in 2015 after playing his college golf at Western Carolina University and moved to St. Simon’s Island, Georgia.

“He’s got a bit of a chip on his shoulder and plays with it because he wasn’t one of those highly touted kids,” Myers said.

Under Myers’s watchful eye, Poston transformed his body, adding size to his frame and physically maturing as well as improving his ability to hit the ball more effectively.

“He weighed about 150 soaking wet when he graduated college,” Myers said. “He’s put on 25 pounds of muscle and he still looks thin.”

One week after tying for second at the Travelers Championship, Poston became the first player on record (since 1983) to open consecutive Tour events with a 62 or better. He followed a first round 9-under 62 with a 6-under 65 and tacked on a third-round 67…