J.T. Poston ends long day in Las Vegas with 3rd career PGA Tour title

LAS VEGAS (AP) — J.T. Poston used a burst of birdies to build a comfortable lead in the morning and afternoon, first for a three-shot lead after 54 holes and then to give himself a big enough cushion to hold on for a 4-under 67 and a one-shot victory Sunday in the Shriners Children's Open.

Poston never trailed since making a 20-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole when he returned to finish the third round. He had two more birdies for a 66 to build a three-shot lead.

He made three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine of the final round and led by four shots with three holes to play. Poston still had to sweat it out to the very last putt.

Doug Ghim closed with a 65, making a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole at the TPC Summerlin to close within one shot. Poston lagged his 45-foot birdie putt to 4 feet and calmly sank that for his third career PGA Tour title. He finished at 22-under 262.

The winning putt felt a little longer because Poston missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 16th and a 4-foot par putt on the 17th, either of which would have put the tournament away.

“I just told myself, ‘This is what you dream of, a putt to win on the PGA Tour. Try to forget the last two,’” Poston said. “I told myself, ‘I’ve made a million of these. Just do one more.'”

The victory assures Poston of returning to the Masters for the third straight year and moving back inside the top 50 in the world. He was playing for the first time since the BMW Championship, wanting to spend time at home with a daughter born in March.

This was a happy return for the 31-year-old from North Carolina, who already was guaranteed being in the $20 million signature events because he finished among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup. This gives him an early start at Kapalua for The Sentry to start the new season.

Ghim was runner-up, his highest finish on the PGA Tour.

He had his chances. Ghim made eagle on the par-5 ninth to pull within one shot, but he missed a pair of birdie putts from 8 feet and then failed to get up-and-down for birdie on the reachable par-4 15th as Poston was pulling away.

Ghim two-putted the par-5 16th, picked up another shot when Poston bogeyed the par 3 and then birdied the last to force Poston to make one last putt.

Matti Schmid continued his strong play in the FedEx Cup Fall, closing with a 66 to tie for third with Rico Hoey, who also had a 66.

Schmid was No. 125 in the FedEx Cup — the top 125 keep a full PGA Tour card for 2025 — when he tied for 16th in Mississippi, finished fifth last week in Utah and tied for third in Las Vegas. He now is up to No. 77.

Another big consolation prize went to Michael Kim, who closed with a 62 and tied for fifth, moving from No. 129 in the FedEx Cup to No. 112.

Poston felt the entire day was a struggle, even though he went 41 consecutive holes without a bogey until his short miss on the 17th, and led the final 23 holes of the tournament.

“I wasn't quite as sharp with the scoring clubs,” Poston said. “It felt like a grind all day. I know I had a comfortable lead, but I never felt safe. Doug was playing great and I felt like I was just plodding around.”

The PGA Tour next heads to Japan for the Zozo Championship, a 78-man field with no cut, before returning to North America for three tournaments to close out the season.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Matt Kuchar hits off the tee on the third hole during the final round of the Shriners Children's Open golf tournament, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Rico Hoey hits off the first tee during the final round of the Shriners Children's Open golf tournament, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

J.T. Poston hits off the tee on the 13th hole during the final round of the Shriners Children's Open golf tournament, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

J.T. Poston hugs his caddie, Aaron Flener, after winning the Shriners Children's Open golf tournament, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

J.T. Poston kisses the trophy after winning the Shriners Children's Open golf tournament, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Doug Ghim hits off the tee on the third hole during the final round of the Shriners Children's Open golf tournament, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Matti Schmid hits off the tee on the third hole during the final round of the Shriners Children's Open golf tournament, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

J.T. Poston hits off the tee on the fourth hole during the final round of the Shriners Children's Open golf tournament, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

J.T. Poston hits off the tee on the third hole during the final round of the Shriners Children's Open golf tournament, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The emotional lift of Ricky Pearsall's return to the field 50 days after he was shot lasted less than a half. Then the San Francisco 49ers had to deal with some more bad news at receiver.

Brandon Aiyuk went down with a right knee injury in Sunday's 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that coach Kyle Shanahan fears is a season-ending ACL tear.

Shanahan said the team was waiting for confirmation from an MRI scheduled for Monday, but the expectation is that Aiyuk will miss the rest of the season in the latest injury blow to a San Francisco team already missing All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and other key players.

“I know a lot of teams deal with that,” Shanahan said about the spate of injuries. “Not every team, but we’re dealing with it hard right now. It got worse today. It’s tough.”

Aiyuk got hurt late in the first half when was hit on the knee after making a catch in the red zone. He stayed down for a few minutes before being carted to the locker room and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.

Aiyuk, who signed a $120 million, four-year extension in late August following a lengthy contract “hold in,” has 25 catches for 374 yards this season. He was a second-team All-Pro last season when he had 1,342 yards receiving.

“Obviously just what BA does for our offense, who he is as a teammate and brother of ours, man, it’s sad,” quarterback Brock Purdy said. "So wish him nothing but the best moving forward. That’s my guy.

San Francisco was already without two of its other top receivers, with Jauan Jennings sidelined by a hip injury that is not expected to be long-term and Deebo Samuel dealing with an illness that limited him to four snaps against Kansas City.

That put more responsibility on the plate of Pearsall, who was activated from the non-football injury list on Saturday. Pearsall came in for his first play on San Francisco's opening drive and caught his first career pass late in the second quarter. He finished with three catches for 21 yards.

“He was going to get eased in a little today,” Shanahan said. “That changed a little bit with Deebo going out and it changed a bunch with Aiyuk going out. So he had to do more than we expected today and I was proud of him for handling it. It’s great to have him back.”

Pearsall returned to practice this past Monday for the first time since he was shot in the chest in San Francisco’s Union Square area on Aug. 31. He was hospitalized overnight but avoided damage to any organs and nerves and was back working out at the team facility the following week.

“Obviously my first thoughts through the whole incident was whether I was going to be alive or not,” Pearsall said. “Once I knew I was going to be OK, and I was going to be able to live, the next question was whether I was going to play football again. As soon as I got that answer, that light just grew inside of me and I was super excited to get back out here.”

Pearsall, who was drafted in the first round in April, missed the majority of training camp with injuries to his hamstring and shoulder but was on track to be ready for the opener before he was shot.

It took weeks to get back to full health where he could play in a game.

“The biggest hurdle for me was just recovering from the wound,” he said. “There was obviously a lot of scar tissue built up in the area, and since it was in my chest, under my armpit. ... Just working through that, making sure I’m getting that all worked on and getting that scar tissue out. And once I started feeling a better range of motion, pain tolerance-wise, that’s when I was headed in the right direction in practice to return.”

Pearsall proved that on the practice field during the week, but the moment of stepping onto the field for the first time as a professional was the biggest step.

“It meant everything to me,” Pearsall said. “Obviously, all the adversity I just went through this past month. It was really good to go out there with my guys again. I think that’s a refresher for me at the end of the day. When the incident first happened, the first thing I was thinking about was the guys in this locker room, the coaches in the locker room and the entire staff. They did a really good job of rallying around me and making sure I stayed up. It was a huge blessing for me today.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, bottom, remains on the field after being hit during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, right, cannot catch a pass next to Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall waits at the line of scrimmage during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall warms up before an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (14) catches a pass against Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6) during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) is hit by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, left, and safety Chamarri Conner during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) remains on the field after being hit during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)