Poston pull away, wins Wyndham

Kokrak finishes tied for 6th with a 264

Associated Press

GREENSBORO, N.C.

J.T. Poston kept racking up birdies and pars — but no bogeys — at the Wyndham Championship. They added up to his first PGA Tour victory — and a first-time-in-decades achievement.

Poston shot an 8-under 62 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory at the tour’s regular-season finale.

He tied Henrik Stenson’s 2-year-old tournament record at 22-under 258, and became the first player since Lee Trevino in 1974 to win a 72-hole stroke-play event on tour without any bogeys or worse.

“I probably haven’t had that many bogey-free rounds this year,” Poston said. “To be able to do four in a row is pretty special, and finish it off with a 62 on Sunday is pretty awesome.”

The native North Carolinian began his round three strokes back, took the lead for good with — what else? — a birdie on the par-5 15th hole, then finished with three straight pars to earn $1,116,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points.

Webb Simpson was at 21 under after a 65. Byeong Hun An, who held or shared the lead after each of the first three rounds, three-putted the 18th for a bogey and a 67 to finish two shots back. Trying to force a playoff with a birdie, he nearly holed a 60-footer but had it run well past.

“Nothing was really working at the end,” An said. “I just ran out of juice.”

Poston, a former Western Carolina golfer playing a 100-mile drive from his hometown of Hickory, became the third player in 11 years with strong local ties to win at Sedgefield Country Club. He joined 2008 winner Carl Petterson — a Swede who grew up in Greensboro — and Simpson, the 2011 champion who’s from Raleigh and played college golf at Wake Forest.

“To be able to do it here in North Carolina, with a lot of friends and family, I don’t think I could have drawn it up any better,” Poston said.

Poston closed the gap with An with three birdies and an eagle on the front nine.

Then came the key hole: No. 15. Poston took sole possession of the lead with a birdie on that hole after placing a bunker chip 6 feet from the flagstick.

An, playing two groups behind Poston, sent his tee shot on that hole into the weeds. He took a penalty stroke, then landed his third shot left of the green, left his chip 35 feet short and dropped to 20 under after two-putting for his first bogey of the tournament.

Nine players started this tournament with a shot at some of that cash, but only Simpson and Paul Casey came away with some. Casey finished eighth on the points list and earned $600,000.

Warren JFK graduate Jason Kokrak finished tied for sixth with a 16-under 264. He shot a 4-under 66. He had five birdies and a bogey on the Par-4 11th.

It was Kokrak’s fifth top 10 finish of the season. His last came in the Valero Texas Open in April.