J.T. Poston conquers the rough with ease, trails one shot behind leader with back-to-back birdies at 2023 3M Open

J.T. Poston, the American golfer, has displayed a consistently solid game in the 3M Open. Building on his good performance from the first day, he had an excellent start to the second round, showcasing his impressive skills.

One notable example of his skill was seen on the 15th hole (sixth of the round). His drive covered an impressive distance of 289 yards off the tee but landed in the rough to the left of the fairway. From there, J.T. Poston had the challenge of finding the green to continue his strong play.

J.T. Poston did so with admirable accuracy. He executed an excellent swing with one of his irons to send the ball 166 yards right onto the green. It was such a quality shot that the ball was exactly four feet from the hole, where Poston made birdie.

On the next hole, J.T. Poston exhibited his longest drive of the day to send the ball 316 yards straight down the fairway. From there he hit another excellent 80-yard drive that left the ball 4 feet, 11 inches from the hole. It was the second birdie in a row and third on the front nine for Poston.

Poston covered the first nine holes with no bogeys and a score of 3-under 36. His first two holes of the back nine were more of the same: par-birdie to take -4 for the round (-9 overall) and chase the provisional leader, Kevin Streelman, just one stroke behind him.

J.T. Poston in the first round of the 3M Open

J.T. Poston finished the first round of the 3M Open with a score of -5, ranked ninth (tied).

Poston started Thursday's performance strong as well, with back-to-back birdies on the same first and second holes. A bogey on the 3rd slowed him down a bit, but he never lost his pace.

J.T. Poston following his drive on the 12th hole of the 3M Open's second round (Image via Getty).

At the close of the round he had seven birdies and two bogeys, which put him only three strokes behind the leader after the first round, Lee Hodges performed an incredible 8-under 63 during the first day.

Poston, 30, is ranked 51st by the Official World Golf Ranking. He came into the 3M Open after posting a double T6 at the John Deere Classic and the Genesis Scottish Open, and finishing T41 at The Open Championship.

Throughout the season, J.T. Poston has achieved 5 Top 10 finishes as his best results, but he has also missed the cut in 10 out of 25 tournaments played.

Currently, he holds the 60th position in the FedEx Cup rankings, granting him a place in the FEDEX ST. JUDE CHAMPIONSHIP. However, to solidify his spot, he needs to perform well in both the 3M Open and the Wyndham Championship to secure his position in the rankings.