The weather-affected tournament resulted in an early morning for leader Poston and Gerard, who both had to complete 13 holes before they could consider their final round at Muirfield Village.
Poston enjoyed a bright start, reeling off three consecutive birdies to head into that final round with a four-stroke lead after a 69. But Gerard and a resurgent Wyndham Clark made their presence felt in the review mirror.
But Poston began to wane in the pressure moments, carding two three-putt bogeys and when he missed a par putt on the 13th, he fell behind for the first time.
The American rallied at the death, draining a seven-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to salvage an even-par 72 and force a playoff with Gerard. He then won on the second extra hole when Gerard missed a six-foot par putt.
“A lot of holes, a lot of grit,” the 33-year-old said after the long day.
“Obviously, didn’t play my best first 12, 13 holes, but I told myself I knew I was going to shake Jack’s [Nicklaus] hand walking off 18, and I wanted to be proud of that handshake regardless of how it turned out. So I’m thrilled it happened this way.”
