J.T. at the JD: Poston hangs on to win John Deere Classic

One of golf’s busiest weekends has come and gone, and after four rounds of play, we’ve finally crowned a winner at the 2022 John Deere Classic. The quietest of the three golf events this weekend (next to the second LIV Golf Invitational and the Irish Open) produced a second-time PGA Tour winner and plenty of drama down the stretch. Below, find everything you need to know about the 2022 John Deere.

Who won: J.T. Poston (Two-under 69; 21-under)

How it happened: Poston entered the day with the 54-hole lead and never looked back, delivering a two-under 69 to close out a 21-under performance for his second-ever PGA Tour victory. With a three-stroke lead heading up to the 72nd hole, Poston delivered like he had all week at TPC Deere Run, zipping his final approach well clear of the water and onto the putting surface. With four putts to nab a victory, Poston needed only two, tapping in for par to close out a three-stroke win.

The other winners: Of course, Poston was one of three big winners from the world of golf this weekend. He was joined by Branden Grace (LIV) and Adrian Meronk (DP World Tour). While Emiliano Grillo and Christiaan Bezuidenhout (T2) weren’t winners, they also found their way into the Open Championship (alongside Poson) via their performances on Sunday.

Why it matters: It’s easy to forget — given the JDC’s comparatively weak field — that the winner of this week’s event receives an invitation to the 2023 Masters (like all other PGA Tour winners in 2022). But that’s likely one of the first things on Poston’s mind this evening. Poston, 29, has played in only one other Masters — a missed cut in November 2020 — and in 2023, he will get the opportunity to reach the weekend in front of a true Masters crowd.

Best celebration: Poston’s fiancee, Kelly, wasted no time getting into the winner’s circle to celebrate alongside her soon-to-be husband, sharing an emotional moment together on the 18th green.

“I think I honestly was more nervous,” Kelly said afterward. “I wasn’t there for the first win so this was so special for me. I’m so proud of him.”

Best meltdown: As a general rule, three-putt pars are frustrating. Three-putt pars while you’re in contention in an event that could alter the trajectory of your season? Now that’s downright maddening.

Or at least, Dylan Wu thinks as much. After a three-putt par on the par-5 10th on Sunday, Wu had one of the meltdowns of the year on the PGA Tour, a 40-second long diatribe that included a … rather scathing analysis of his performance for the week.

It sure wasn’t pretty, but it was certainly worth a laugh, and for that, we’re grateful.

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Notables: Emiliano Grillo finished T2, falling just short of his first PGA Tour victory in seven years at the JD. Cam Davis finished T8. Christiaan Bezuidenhout finished T2. Maverick McNealy nabbed his first top-15 since the Genesis Invitational in February. Scott Stallings delivered an underwhelming final round to fall four shots back in his T4 finish. Sahith Theegala (T16) couldn’t overcome a weak opening round to recover from last weekend’s devastating loss at the Travelers, but still nabbed a top-20 finish.

Up next: A rare PGA Tour doubleheader between two co-sanctioned events: the Barbasol Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open (where our own Sean Zak will be on the bag for Joel Dahmen).