J.T. Poston wins 2026 Memorial Tournament, punching ticket to U.S. Open after marathon day

J.T. Poston narrowly beat Ryan Gerard in a two-hole playoff at the 2026 Memorial Tournament to pick up a much-needed event win on Sunday.

Poston still needed to qualify for the 2026 U.S. Open later in June, and was running out of time - and opportunities- to do so. This tournament win helps secure his spot in the U.S. Open field with the major beginning on June 18.

Gerard and Poston had the deck stacked against them on Sunday. The lead pair was only able to get five holes in on Saturday due to the weather. This meant the pairing had to play 33 holes on Sunday to finish their four rounds for the event.

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When the dust settled Sunday afternoon on the 18th hole, both Gerard and Poston were tied at 12-under.

To settle the tiebreaker, they walked back to the 18th tee and played the hole again. They each finished with a par on the hole, and the duo had to play the 18th again.

This time, Gerard bogeyed the hole, while Poston sank the tournament-winning par putt.

Winning the tournament and securing that spot at the U.S. Open is a huge sigh of relief for Poston. If he hadn't won the Memorial Tournament on Sunday, his qualifying options would have been limited.

The golfer was already scheduled to play in a U.S. Open qualifying event on Monday. If that had happened, Poston would have played 33 holes on Sunday and then had to play 36 on Monday to try and qualify for the upcoming major.

Now, he is able to focus on the U.S. Open and revel in the $4 million payday from his win. This is the fourth PGA Tour event win of Poston's career. He is still searching for his first major win. Currently, his best finish is a tie for fifth at the 2025 PGA Championship.

Sunday's win not only qualifies Poston for the upcoming U.S. Open but also for the Open Championship in July.