The Memorial Tournament Round 3: J.T. Poston Outlasts the Storms to Build a Four-Shot Lead

Saturday at the Memorial was mostly a waiting room. Sunday morning was when J.T. Poston walked out of it with a four-shot lead.

The third round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday started Saturday, June 6, but thunderstorms shut it down with Poston and Ryan Gerard tied at 9 under through five holes. When play resumed Sunday morning, Poston played the final 13 holes in 3 under to finish off a 3-under 69 and reach 12-under 204. Gerard stumbled to a 72 and sits alone in second at 8 under. Sam Burns is five back at 7 under, with Wyndham Clark and Tommy Fleetwood tied for fourth at 6 under.

A Day Full of Sirens

Saturday never found a rhythm. Justin Thomas, out early after making the cut on the number, got through 12 holes in dry conditions before the first stoppage, a delay of 1 hour, 40 minutes. A second wave of weather followed in the afternoon, and with thunderstorms on the way, officials called it for the day even though roughly four hours of daylight remained.

Only 21 players finished their rounds. Harris English posted the best of those cards, a 3-under 69 that got him to 3-under 213. Thomas shot 72 and was blunt about the timing. "But I missed the window. You know, you've got to play better," Thomas said, per the AP.

Thirty-two players were still on the course when the horn sounded, including the leaders, who had barely gotten started.

Scheffler Flashes, Then Fades

The most electric golf on Saturday belonged to Scottie Scheffler. Starting 10 shots back, the two-time defending champion went birdie, birdie, eagle, with the eagle coming after he reached the par-5 seventh in two, and played a six-hole stretch around the turn in 5 under. For a moment he was up to fourth and the three-peat chatter was back on.

Then it leaked. A three-putt par from long eagle range stalled the run, a bogey at the par-3 12th followed, and a ball in the water at 14 cost him another shot. Scheffler finished his 68 on Sunday morning and sits at 3-under 213, nine back alongside English.

Poston's Sunday Morning Statement

When play resumed on Sunday morning, Muirfield Village was a different animal. The course was softer, the greens were more receptive and there was very little wind, and Poston took full advantage.

He saved par from just inside 6 feet at the sixth, then went birdie, birdie at seven and eight, rolling in putts from 10 and 7 feet. A bogey at nine was a hiccup. The real damage came after the turn. Poston hit a wedge to 8 feet at 13 to take the lead outright, stuck another wedge to about 3 feet at 14, and holed a 13-footer at the par-5 15th for three straight birdies. A bunker at the par-3 16th led to a bogey, but by then the separation was done.

It is quite a turnaround for a player who arrived in Dublin without a top-20 finish all season. Poston is chasing his fourth PGA TOUR title and his first since the 2024 Shriners Children's Open.

Gerard and Burns Lose Ground

Gerard was level with Poston when the horn sounded Saturday, and the Sunday restart is where it slipped. Gerard bogeyed six, got it back with birdies at seven and 10, then dropped shots at 16 and 17 on the way to a 72. It is a four-shot gap now, but he has been right there all week.

Burns had a messier morning. A double bogey at the par-5 11th threatened to knock him out of the picture, but two birdies coming home got him back to 7 under and into the final group.

Behind them, Clark and Fleetwood are tied at 6 under, and reigning U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun is at 4 under. Rory McIlroy is all the way back at even par.

What Is at Stake

The tournament barely paused. The final round was sent out in threesomes off both tees to beat the sunset, with Poston, Gerard and Burns in the last group. For the leader, Sunday is a marathon: 13 holes already in the books this morning, then a full 18 on a course that spent Friday humbling the best players in the world.

There is a lot riding on it beyond the trophy. This would be the biggest win of Poston's career, and a victory would carry him straight into The Open and out of Monday's 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier. The softer conditions favor scoring, which means a four-shot cushion is a good place to start and nowhere near a guarantee.

Catch up on the earlier rounds in our Round 1 recap and Round 2 recap. The PGA TOUR's Round 3 report (opens in a new tab) has more details.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 3 report), AP, AFP via SuperSport, theScore. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.