Empty feeling without Wyndham fans for defending champ J.T. Poston
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Reflecting on the big finish that made him last year’s Wyndham Championship winner, while also looking forward to returning this year as the reigning champion, has put J.T. Poston in a conflicted place.
There’s considerable appreciation for the crowd support that helped fuel him to victory last August, and disappointed acceptance for the muted scene that waits Thursday at Sedgefield Country Club, where spectators won’t be allowed on the grounds because of coronavirus precautions.
Poston fired an 8-under-par 62 during the Wyndham’s final round last year and delivered a tournament scoring record, a 22-under total of 258 across four rounds, becoming the first PGA Tour player since 1974 to claim a 72-hole event without carding a bogey or worse.
Three straight pars to end on clinched a one-shot victory over Webb Simpson for Poston, the Hickory native and Western Carolina product, who rode Sedgefield’s wave of home-state encouragement to break through for his first win on Tour.
“When I think back through that final round that Sunday, I had a lot of family and friends and familiar faces in the crowd,” said Poston, who’s going off on Thursday at 12:55 p.m. ET in the first round of this year’s event. “Every shot into the green, every putt that I made, every big par save down the stretch. And the last few holes, walking tee to green and I’m seeing all these people, all these familiar faces waiting on the ropes watching me, I definitely feel like I fed off of that energy, that atmosphere, being the North Carolina kid.
“If that wasn’t there, I don’t know if it would’ve changed the outcome. It might’ve changed it. It definitely would’ve made me probably feel a little different. It would’ve been weird making some of those putts, hitting some of those shots, making those big par saves down the stretch and just not having a reaction or not having anybody there cheering you on.”
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Poston started the final round a year ago by using three birdies and an eagle on the front nine to close in on third-round leader Byeong Hun An. Later, a birdie on the 15th hole vaulted Poston into sole possession of the lead.
He earned $1.1 million with the victory. The tournament hasn’t had a repeat winner since 1955-56, when Sam Snead went back-to-back in what was known as the Greater Greensboro Open.
“There’s a lot of good memories, first PGA Tour win and everything from last year,” he said. “I’m really excited to get back, but I’m pretty bummed that there won’t be fans. I was definitely looking forward to being the defending champ, and a bunch of family and friends were very excited to get out there.”
Sedgefield figures to be quiet Thursday as the first round of the Wyndham gets underway. It’s the 81st edition of Greensboro’s PGA event, and since golf restarted in mid-June amid the pandemic, the Tour has yet to hold a tournament with fans permitted on site.
The situation has met Wyndham tournament director Mark Brazil with a range of emotions, from sadness to understanding.
“It’ll be TV only,” Brazil said. “It’ll be heartbreaking to do this event without fans, without sponsors. It’s tough, but I think it’s better than not having live golf. So it is what it is, we’ll hope for a better 2021 in August for us.
“We’re going to try to make this the best we can. It’s going to be extremely odd walking around the golf course without fans. I know the tournament directors and their staffs before us that have gone through this. They all shared the same thing, it’s just different.”
Brazil visited the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in June, the Hilton Head Island, S.C., tournament eventually won by the former Wake Forest standout Simpson, who’s one of the marquee names in this week’s stacked Wyndham field.
The Tour just had returned from its coronavirus shutdown then, and the vacant Harbour Town course startled Brazil as he arrived for practice rounds.
“There was nobody except the players and some caddies and a couple of other tournament directors,” he said. “That’s pretty bizarre, but that’s the world that we’re living in right now.”
