Poston puts up a stellar 65 in second round of PGA Memorial

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/poston-jt/0vz9vvgQ/"]Poston[/a] fired a seven-under par 65 to overtake fellow American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gerard-ryan/Wh01wlMn/"]Ryan Gerard[/a], finishing on nine-under 135 after 36 holes in the event, hosted by legend [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nicklaus-jack/6qVIRQU3/"]Jack Nicklaus[/a] at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.[/p][p][b]"I was hitting my irons good and controlling them well and made a ton of putts, which was nice to see,"[/b] Poston said.[/p][p][b]"It helps to get off to a great start, making birdies early and seeing a few putts go in, makes it easier to be patient, feel like you don't have to press."[/b][/p][embed guid="1876f34f-e766-43fc-b63b-cd793a1e005a" url="https://x.com/GolfChannel/status/2062984768451461346?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Poston, who turned 33 on Monday, seeks his fourth PGA title, his first since the 2024 Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas.[/p][p]Poston opened with a 22-foot birdie putt and followed with a 20-footer at the second hole, sank a three-foot birdie putt at the par-three fourth, and a 16-footer to birdie the par-five fifth.[/p][p]After a bogey at the sixth, Poston answered with birdies from just inside 17 feet at the par-five seventh and 11 feet at the par-three eighth.[/p][p][b]"When it's blowing out there, it's tricky," [/b]Poston said. [b]"The targets are getting smaller and smaller where you've got to land the ball."[/b][/p][p]Poston seized a share of the lead with a seven-foot birdie putt at the 13th and took the solo lead on a 20-foot birdie putt at 17, then rescued par after finding bunkers on his first two shots at 18 by rolling in a 10-foot par putt to finish nine shots under the field average of 74.[/p][p][b]"I'd like to keep staying patient, take it one shot at a time,"[/b] said Poston. [b]"I've done a good job of that this week. Made a lot of putts, hit irons well, would like to hit a few more fairways with driver."[/b][/p][embed guid="9deb63fc-5211-41d0-9fc4-11f25698a1b2" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HhBWqe3R9M&pp=ygUPUG9zdG9uIE1lbW9yaWFs" social-type="youtube" /][p]Gerard, who shared the 18-hole lead, fired a 69 to stand on 136. He birdied three of the first six holes but had two birdies and two bogeys over the final six, a three-putt bogey at 18 keeping him from sharing the lead again.[/p][p][b]"Overall, I'm proud of how I grinded from the spots I put myself in off the tee," [/b]Gerard said.[b] "Made a lot of grimy kind of up-and-downs and really cool hack-outs, and I just felt like I did a good job of keeping myself in the hole.[/b][/p][p][b]"No matter where I was or what the position might be, I did a good job of just staying in the hole and grinding until the end."[/b][/p][p]American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/burns-sam/Ya8WURp6/"]Sam Burns[/a] was third on 138, with England's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fleetwood-tommy/Svq63qoo/"]Tommy Fleetwood[/a] fourth on 140 and American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cole-eric/YFlxBEs7/"]Eric Cole[/a] fifth on 141.[/p][p]Reigning US Open champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/spaun-j-j/6oUJlkde/"]JJ Spaun[/a], gearing up for his US Open title defense at Shinnecock in two weeks, shot 77 to stand on 144.[/p][p]World number two [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcilroy-rory/djwanksN/"]Rory McIlroy[/a], the reigning Masters champion, had two bogeys and a double bogey in the last six holes to shoot 74 and stand on 145.[/p][p]Top-ranked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scheffler-scottie/bXfIuBYu/"]Scottie Scheffler[/a], trying to become the first player to three-peat at a PGA event since [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stricker-steve/tnBbGyle/"]Steve Stricker[/a] won the John Deere Classic from 2009-2011, fired a 72 to stand on 145.[/p][p][b]"I was not hitting it very well,"[/b] Scheffler said. [b]"Overall, it was a tough day. I felt like I could have shot 90."[/b][/p][embed guid="480baf30-3eed-4a59-a230-f29a55cfc547" url="https://x.com/flushingitgolf/status/2063002537100214577?s=20" social-type="twitter" /]