J.T. Poston Remains A Preeminent Short-Course Dynamo
11 months agoAfter a stellar four-month stretch to end 2023 that solidified him as one of the Tour's clearest breakout candidates, J.T. Poston has started the New Year in much the same form. His three January finishes of 5th, 6th, and 11th carry on a run of eight top-12 finishes in his last 12 starts, and perhaps more encouraging for his prospects this week is the fact that so many of these recent successes have come on shorter, wedge-intensive venues like Pebble Beach. Waialae, PGA West, Sedgefield, TPC Deer Run, and even Kapalua share many of the same key markers for success (positional driving, precise wedge play, etc.), but the greatest hurdle Poston is likely to face this week revolves around Pebble's notoriously tricky poa annua green complexes. The Hickory, NC native has experienced a drastic reduction in expected putting output on this West Coast surface throughout his career in comparison to traditional Bermuda or Bentgrass greens and hasn't gained strokes putting on this surface since the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open (five starts). If he can use his current momentum to finally exorcise some of these agronomic demons, the rest of his game seems primed for another run to the top of a leaderboard.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour