Golfbet recap: J.T. Poston goes low for third career PGA TOUR victory at Shriners Children's Open

Last year J.T. Poston opened the Shriners Children’s Open with a round of 63 and went on to finish third. This year he started with a 64 but found a way to improve his final position.

Poston holed a 4-foot par putt on the final green to finish off a one-shot victory over Doug Ghim at TPC Summerlin, the third of his career and first in more than two years.

Poston was listed at +4000 pre-tournament according to BetMGM Sportbsook, but he began his Sunday bright and early, having five holes left to complete his third round of the tournament. He was tied for the lead at the time with Ghim at 15-under. Poston was the favorite to win the Shriners Children’s Open at that time at +333. Ghim was at +850.

Poston played those five holes in 3-under and began his final round with a three-shot lead at 18-under. His price to capture the victory was now +125.

Round-by-round odds for J.T. Poston to win Shriners Children’s Open (via BetMGM)

• Pre-tournament: +4000
• After Round 1 (T2, trailed by 3): +1600
• After Round 2 (co-leader): +400
• After Round 3 (led by 3): +125

The trend continued. He birdied the very first hole of his final round, moved to 19-under and now had a four-shot advantage over Rico Hoey, Taylor Pendrith, and Ghim.

Ghim pulled back to within three shots with a birdie at No. 7. Kitayama, a local UNLV product, birdied the ninth hole to get it to 17-under and was now +600 to win on his home turf. Michael Kim was way out in front of the leaders but was on a heater. He birdied Nos. 15 and 16 to get to 18-under, just one off the lead but he was running out of holes. Kim would eventually finish at 18-under and was the leader in the clubhouse. He was still a massive +25000 long shot however, to have it hold up. Kim’s 9-under 62 tied the lowest round of his career.

Things got interesting at the par-5 ninth hole where Poston settled for par and Ghim poured in an 11-foot eagle putt to trim the lead down to just one shot. Both players in the final group made the turn for home, with Poston in the role of the favorite at -135 and Ghim as the second choice at +175.

Outright results from Golfbet Expert Picks

• Will Gray: Ben Griffin (+4000) MC
• Ben Everill: Adam Hadwin (+3300) MC
• Chris Breece: J.J. Spaun (+4000) T34
• Matt DelVecchio: Cam Davis (+3300) MC
• Mike Glasscott: Harry Hall (+4500) T9

Kitayama was the third member of the final group, but his bid for win No. 2 of his career came to an end at No. 12 when he dunked his approach shot into the water. Kitayama made double bogey, dropped back to 14-under and was now +4000 to win.

While Kitayama was spiraling at the 12th, the “Postman” was just beginning to put a stamp on his championship run, birdieing three of his next four holes. After a birdie at No. 15, Poston was back out in front by four shots at 23-under. BetMGM oddsmakers figured this golf tournament was all but done at this point, making Poston a -10000 favorite – and they were right.

It was a straight flush in Las Vegas for Poston – or maybe a progressive – as he shot consecutive rounds of 64-65-66-67 over the course of his four days at TPC Summerlin en route to victory.

Nothing leaps off the page as spectacular, but what does stand out is how good Poston was in all areas. In this field, he ranked 15th for SG: Off the Tee, 20th for SG: Approach, eighth in SG: Putting, fifth in Scrambling, 16th in Greens in Regulation, and 34th in Driving Accuracy. Poston was also tied for first in eagles with three and was third in the field for Bogey Avoidance, making only three all week.

Poston has won the Wyndham Championship (2019), the John Deere Classic (2022), and now adds the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas to his collection.

Results from Rob Bolton Sleeper Picks and Golfbet Insider

• Ben Kohles to win (+10000) MC
• S.H. Kim Top 5 finish (+3300) 51st
• J.J. Spaun Top 10 finish (+350) T34
• K.H. Lee Top 20 finish (+400) T5
• Lanto Griffin Top 40 finish (+165) T29
• Ryan Fox Top 20 finish (+275) T34
• Patrick Fishburn Top 20 finish (+250) T34
• Jhonattan Vegas Top 20 finish (+200) T52
• Ryan Moore Top 40 finish (+200) T34
• Cam Davis, Adam Hadwin and J.T. Poston all make the cut (+170) MC/MC/WIN
• Chesson Hadley Top 40 finish (+140) MC
• Luke List Top 40 finish (+175) T41
• Taylor Pendrith Top Canadian (+225) 8th
• Andrew Putnam Top 20 finish (+220) T16
• David Skinns Top 40 finish (+165) 66th
• Jhonattan Vegas Top South American (+150) T52
• Tom Whitney Top 40 finish (+240) MC

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