Seung-Yul Noh Finishes Tied 43rd... Poston Wins Wire-to-Wire

John Deere Classic Final Day Struggles with 2 Over Par, Poston Secures 2nd Career Win in 3 Years, Grillo and Bezuidenhout Tied for 2nd Place

Noh Seung-yeol is making an approach shot on the 1st hole on the final day of the John Deere Classic.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] No Seung-yeol (31) failed to enter the ‘Top 10’.

On the 4th (Korean time), at the final day of the PGA Tour John Deere Classic (total prize money $7.1 million) held at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, USA (par 71, 7,268 yards), he lost 2 strokes and dropped to a tie for 43rd place (8-under 276). Starting from a tie for 21st place, just 2 strokes behind the joint 10th, he recorded 4 birdies, 4 bogeys, and 1 double bogey. He exchanged 4 birdies and 4 bogeys over 17 holes, struggling to reduce his score.

The 18th hole (par 4) was especially disappointing. His tee shot went into the rough, and his second shot ended up in the water, leading to a difficult situation. After receiving a one-stroke penalty, he finished the hole with ‘4 on 2 putts,’ resulting in a double bogey, a critical blow. His average driving distance stood out at 326 yards, showing powerful long shots. However, his fairway hit rate was only 35.71%, causing difficulties in managing the game. His greens in regulation rate was 61.11%, with an average of 1.727 putts per hole.

No Seung-yeol gained attention after representing the national team and dominating the Asian (APGA) Tour Media China in 2008 and the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) Maybank Malaysia in 2010. He crossed over to the U.S. in 2012 through the 2011 Qualifying (Q) School and won the Zurich Classic in April 2014. He is the fourth Korean PGA Tour champion after K.J. Choi (52), Yang Yong-eun (50), and Bae Sang-moon (36). He enlisted in November 2017 and was discharged in August 2019.

Since returning to the PGA Tour in 2019, he has struggled to show his former form. His best result was a tie for 11th at the Travelers Championship in July 2020. This season, he played in 18 tournaments but was cut 7 times. His best finish last year was a tie for 30th at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in November. Due to decreased accuracy in driving and iron shots, he has struggled to create birdie opportunities. A turnaround is needed to maintain his tour card.

J.T. Poston (right) is celebrating with his caddie immediately after his wire-to-wire victory at the John Deere Classic. Silvis, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

J.T. Poston added 2-under par to complete a 3-stroke victory (21-under 263). It was a ‘wire-to-wire’ win, holding the top spot on the leaderboard for all four days. Since joining the PGA Tour in 2017 and winning his first title at the Wyndham Championship in August 2019, this is his second career win in three years, with a winner’s prize of $1,278,000 (1.66 billion KRW). Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) and Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa) tied for second place (18-under 266).