Muirfield Village not only punishes bad shots, and J.T. Poston learned that again on Friday. The 33-year-old used his experience to play one of the best rounds of the day.
Poston shot a 7-under 65 in the second round of the 2026 Memorial Tournament. His score was almost nine shots better than the field average despite the strong winds and difficult conditions.
After the round, he explained what makes this course much tougher than a typical PGA Tour course.
Asked about the course in general, he went further.
“It’s going to expose a part of your game that’s not sharp. It feels like a major a lot of times,” he stated in the presser.
Bildnummer: 02321315 Datum: 01.06.2006 Copyright: imago/Icon SMI
Zuschauer am Grün von Loch 12 des Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin / Ohio – PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY (Icon43820793); Vdig, quer, Fan, Golffan, Green, Sandbunker, Wasser, Gewässer, See, Teich, Baum, Bäume, Golfplatz, Golfanlage, Golfkurs, Golfcourse, Platz, Anlage, Course, Kurs The Memorial Tournament 2006, PGA Tour Dublin / Ohio Muirfield Village Golf Club Golf Herren Einzel USA Totale Aktion Personen Landschaft Sportstätte
Bildnummer: 02321315 Datum: 01.06.2006 Copyright: imago/Icon SMI
Zuschauer am Grün von Loch 12 des Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin / Ohio – PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY (Icon43820793); Vdig, quer, Fan, Golffan, Green, Sandbunker, Wasser, Gewässer, See, Teich, Baum, Bäume, Golfplatz, Golfanlage, Golfkurs, Golfcourse, Platz, Anlage, Course, Kurs The Memorial Tournament 2006, PGA Tour Dublin / Ohio Muirfield Village Golf Club Golf Herren Einzel USA Totale Aktion Personen Landschaft Sportstätte
When asked whether the challenge at Muirfield Village was mental or physical, Poston did not hesitate.
“Both. I mean it’s mental, you got to stay patient,” he said, “You’re going to hit some shots that you think are going to end up in good places and they may not, or they may not end up as close as you think.”
However, Poston explained that patience is only one part of the challenge at Muirfield Village. He said the course also demands strong execution, as players are quickly punished for anything less than their best shots.
“You have to hit the right shots. You have to execute,” he stated. “If you hit an average shot or a poor shot, you’re going to get exposed.”
The conditions on Friday made the course even tougher. The wind was strong, the greens were hard, and players had very little room for mistakes during the round.
Poston switched to a Titleist Left Dash golf ball the week before because it performs better in windy conditions. He stayed patient, played his shots well, and his strong round was helped by excellent putting.
Poston Putter Was the Real Difference-Maker in His Second-Round
The round was made possible by Poston’s strong putting. He spent time working on his putting on Thursday afternoon, and the improvement showed in his play on Friday.
Poston was swinging the club well on Thursday, but the results did not fully show it. The 33-year-old said he hit his iron shots well but missed several putts that could have improved his score.
“Yesterday I shot a couple under, played really solid, and felt like I left a few out there with the putter, didn’t quite capitalize on a lot of good iron shots,” Poston said.
After the round, he spent time working on his putting. The improvement was clear on Friday, when he put together a much better round.
“We worked on the putting a little bit yesterday afternoon and felt like it was starting to improve, and obviously saw that on the course today,” he stated.
So, do you think Poston can keep putting and stay in the fight for the Memorial title this weekend? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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