LAS VEGAS — J.T. Poston continues to grow, as a golfer and a fledgling facial hair connoisseur.
The newly mustachioed Poston continued to play great golf during the opening round of the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin on Thursday, all part of a fun stretch for the Western Carolina product.
Poston, who has been on fire since missing back-to-back cuts at the U.S. Open and Travelers Championship in June, was sporting a stiff and shaggy upper lip as he went 4 under on the day’s final four holes, including an eagle on the ninth hole, to post an 8-under 63 that had him near the top of the leaderboard.
He’s hoping to keep the momentum of four top-10 finishes in his last seven events, not to mention the new facial hair, as the week progresses.
“Just something I started having fun with in the off-season, knowing I was going to be in my own home and not out in public too much, and just decided to keep it,” Poston said of the mustache. “We’re just having fun with it for now, but I don’t know if it’s going to be a permanent thing.”
Aside from Lexi Thompson’s PGA Tour debut, Poston’s big round was part of five things to know after the first round of action:
Beau Hossler's wedges are dialed in
Less than two years ago, golf pundits insisted that once a University of Texas product broke through for his first victory the floodgates would officially open.
Scottie Scheffler did just that, putting together a spectacular stretch of golf that made him one of the sport’s biggest names.
Could Beau Hossler follow that exact script? The former Longhorn has played well of late and many are calling for him to get his debut PGA Tour win sooner than later. Thursday’s outstanding effort certainly seemed to offer credibility to that prophecy.
“My wedge play is starting to get really good, inside probably 140,” Hossler said after tying his career-best round with the 62. “I feel like I can hit it in there tight or have a very nice look pretty much every time, and that was something I was struggling with for a few years. That’s been significantly improved. I think driving, if I can just get it in play,
“I hit it long enough, if I can get in the fairway and get some looks, especially a course like this that’s playing pretty firm and fast, if you get it in the fairway, you can get a lot of wedge looks, and par-5s you get right around the green in two.”
Tom Kim finally makes bogey at Summerlin and then does it again
Prior to the opening of his title defense, Tom Kim said he didn’t feel any pressure to repeat last year’s performance, when he became just the second winner on Tour since Lee Trevino in 1974 to play 72 holes without recording a bogey.
“It’s definitely not an expectation to have this week,” Kim said. “It’s so easy to set them so high because I didn’t make a single bogey, 24 birdies, and you kind of have a feeling where you need to do it again.
“Bogeys happen. I can’t try to not make a bogey.”
The 2022 champ went through the first six holes error-free but finally made his first bogey at TPC Summerlin on the seventh hole. And then he did it again on the next hole.
Kim righted the ship, however, and didn’t make another bogey through his final 10 holes, posting a solid 3-under 68 to keep himself in solid position.
More bad news for Jim Herman
Three-time PGA Tour champ Jim Herman had another rough day, pulling out of the Shriners Children’s Open with an ankle injury.
Last week at the Sanderson Farms, Herman made the cut but proceeded to shoot an 80 on Saturday, dropping him near the bottom of the board.
Herman hasn’t finished higher than 63rd in his last 14 starts.
J.J. Spaun looks to get back into top 60
After falling out of the top 60 while absent last week, J.J. Spaun’s 5-under 66 put the 2022 Valero Texas Open winner in prime position to get back above the important marker.
One of the new wrinkles this year is that players ranked No. 51 and beyond carried their FedEx Cup points from the regular season and first playoff off into the FedEx Cup Fall and continue to accumulate FedEx Cup points to finalize eligibility for the 2024 season.
Ten players, not previously eligible, with the most season-long FedEx Cup points through the FedEx Cup Fall will earn exemptions into the first two Signature events that follow the Sentry (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Genesis Invitational).
Luke List staying hot after last week's win
After capturing his second PGA Tour title last week at the Sanderson Farms Championship, Luke List didn’t lose any steam during the opening round at TPC Summerlin, using five birdies on the back nine to finish the day with a 65.
The last player to win consecutive starts was Viktor Hovland during the FedExCup Playoffs when he won the BMW Championship and then followed with the Tour Championship.
The last player to win back-to-back during the regular season was Jon Rahm, who won the Sentry Tournament of Champions and then added the American Express.
