J.T. Poston emerged from a wild, windy week in Las Vegas to grab his third career PGA Tour victory and his first in just over two years. Reaching 22 under at the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open, Poston held off the field at TPC Summerlin for a one-stroke triumph over Doug Ghim.
Unlike the three prior winners this FedEx Cup Fall, Poston had already locked up his invitations to signature events next season having finished inside the top 50 of the FedEx Cup. What he had not secured, however, were invitations into the Masters and PGA Championship, which he now has in tow.
When Poston tees it up at Augusta National this upcoming spring, it will represent his third straight Masters appearance after making just one across his first six seasons on the PGA Tour.
Following a slugfest of a third round, Poston began the final refrain three out in front of Ghim, his playing competitor. Two birdies in his first four holes grew Poston’s advantage to four as he settled nicely into his day with a pair of conversions from roughly 14 feet.
As the final group traversed through the front side, it appeared a relatively stress-free day was in store for Poston. However, right as a lull began to drape over the tournament, Ghim made his move. A birdie on No. 7 was outdone two holes later when he connected from 12 feet for an eagle on the par-5 9th. All of a sudden, Poston’s lead was just one as he failed to take advantage of the final hole before the turn effectively making it a nine-hole match between the two.
Ghim quickly met an opportunity to pull even as he weighed a 7-foot birdie bid on No. 11 but failed to get his ball to the hole. Poston punched back immediately with his first birdie since No. 4 via a 23-foot conversion on the dangerous par-4 12th. The knockout landed soon after as the leader extended the margin back to four with two circles across the next three holes and effectively put the tournament on ice.
While the 31-year-old faced a couple moments of adversity down the stretch, by then, it was all too late for Poston’s peers. The damage had already been done, and Poston’s third career trophy was already in his grasp. Poston’s grade: A+
Here are grades for the rest of the notables on the leaderboard at the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open:
T5. Michael Kim (-18): Following the Black Desert Championship, Kim posted on social media that the top 125 cutoff was beginning to weigh on his mind. He bounced back with a massive performance in Las Vegas — including a final-round 62 — and nabbed his first top-10 finish since The American Express last January. The result pushes Kim’s name from outside the number to inside with four tournaments remaining in the year.
“It’s awesome,” Kim said. “It’s not a huge monkey off my back but a decent-sized one. I knew these next — including this one, these next few events would be huge for keeping my card for next year. To be able to pull off a round like I did today is a huge boost of confidence for the upcoming tournaments.” Grade: A
T5. Davis Thompson (-18): The Georgia product fell in the bad weather wave, but that did nothing to stifle his chances of grabbing his second victory in the last three months. Getting around TPC Summerlin in a bogey-free fashion across his final 36 holes, Thompson’s steadiness was unfortunately not matched with his typical firepower. His 10 weekend birdies would do a number on the competition most weeks, however this wasn’t one of them. Grade: A-
T9. Gary Woodland (-16): For the first time since undergoing brain surgery, Woodland found himself with a chance to win on the PGA Tour. Entering the final round only a few behind Poston, Woodland’s week was upended when he made a mess of the par-4 3rd and carded a six. Unable to claim a top 20 once this past season, the former U.S. Open champion has now connected on back-to-back top-20 finishes with this week’s performance, which was buoyed by his putter. Grade: B+
T23. Rickie Fowler (-13): After opening with a bogey-free 66, Fowler sputtered the rest of the way home and played his final 54 holes in just 8 under. Despite the lackadaisical finish, the five-time PGA Tour winner should be beaming with confidence as all aspects of his game were firing at one point or another this week. Most importantly, Fowler’s driver was a mainstay as he ranked inside the top 10 in both strokes gained off the tee and driving accuracy. Grade: C+
MC. Tom Kim: The two-time defending champion got caught on the wrong side of the tee time split and never found his footing in his quest for his third straight Shriners Children’s Open title. Kim still remains in solid standing in the FedEx Cup checking in at No. 55 to go along with his No. 25 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings. The latter will get him in all the signature events for 2025 should it sustain, but the early exit in Las Vegas does mean it’s been more than a calendar year since his last victory. Grade: F
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