His Carolina Clean squad didn’t capture the Jani-King Spring Challenge this year, but that doesn’t mean J.T. Poston hasn’t had a season to reckon with in 2026.
Poston’s victory at the Memorial, although it wasn’t a part of the seven-event competition, was a major milestone in the 33-year-old’s career. Poston defeated Ryan Gerard with a par on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the signature event hosted by Jack Nicklaus in Dublin, Ohio, for the biggest title of his four career wins.
And he leaned heavily on his caddie, Aaron Flener, in the victory, especially when he needed to make birdie on the 72nd hole to force the playoff.
“It was a great feeling. I told Aaron, my caddie, when we were walking off the tee, we’ve had a few scenarios this year. Now, granted, several of them were to make the cut on Friday, but we had to birdie the last hole. And it’s a similar type of pressure. You’ve got nothing to lose and just step up there and hit the shot,” Poston said.
“And I told him, We’ve birdied 18 a few times this year. Let’s go do it again. So to be able to pull it off at a tournament like this and on a hole like 18 at Muirfield Village is incredible.”
The win highlighted the relationship between Poston and Flener, who have shined this year. Poston has four top-25 finishes in 15 starts this season, and has amassed over $5.5 million in earnings.
And he and Andrew Novak paired up to comprise one of the three teams in the Jani-King Spring Challenge. Wrapping up its third year, the challenge has evolved into more than a sponsor showcase. It’s a meaningful bonus layer woven into the Tour grind, rewarding players who consistently show up and produce.
Built around a slate of PGA Tour stops, the competition emphasizes both sharp play and steady results — with teams sharing $150,000 in payouts based on the FedEx Cup points they accumulate along the way.
It also highlights the relationship between player and caddie, a sometimes underappreciated piece of PGA Tour life.
Poston certainly appreciates Flener, noting after his Memorial win how important it is to have a teammate to work with.
“Yeah, he’s been incredible. There’s been times when I’ve certainly had my doubts about my game, and he’s been the steady head, the foundation in the pair to just, you know, keep plugging along, keep working at it,” Poston said of his relationship with Flener. “We’re not quitters, like I said, and so we knew we had, we knew we were working on the right things to make this happen and I feel like he probably believed it before I did.
“But just incredibly proud of how we’ve stuck it out and we make a good team.”
While Poston’s win was a big one, Jacob Bridgeman and Chris Gotterup captured the Spring Challenge, taking the biggest prizes, with their caddies Brady Stockton and GW Cable, each getting a prize of $7,500 for the victory. The Kings of Clean finished with 785 points in the competition.
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