<\/p>\n
Chris Gotterup holds the trophy after winning the John Deere Classic golf tournament, Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Silvis, Ill.<\/p>\n
Matt Marton\/AP Photo\/Matt Marton<\/p>\n
Chris Gotterup, center, high fives his brother and caddie Patrick Gotterup, right, after finishing the 18th hole during the final round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament, Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Silvis, Ill.<\/p>\n
Matt Marton\/AP Photo\/Matt Marton<\/p>\n
Chris Gotterup reacts as he is announced as the winner of the final round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament, Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Silvis, Ill.<\/p>\n
Matt Marton\/AP Photo\/Matt Marton<\/p>\n
Chris Gotterup lines up a putt on the 18th hole during the final round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament, Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Silvis, Ill.<\/p>\n
Matt Marton\/AP Photo\/Matt Marton<\/p>\n
NORTH BERWICK, Scotland (AP) \u2014 The American Junior Golf Association lists Chris Gotterup as an alumnus. He can remember only one tournament in Texas he played, and it’s one Gotterup would rather forget.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI shot a million,\u201d Gotterup said Tuesday. \u201cI was like, my dad just wasted a bunch of money on this. I played horrible and didn’t enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
He can’t even recall the name of the tournament or the course, much less his actual score, and he could only guess where he placed.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust look up T-94,\u201d he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
It was a trip that made Gotterup realize there was no need to stray too far from his home in New Jersey given the quality of the golf courses in the Garden State and the competition across the New York metropolitan area. That’s one reason he wound up at Rutgers for three years before closing out his college career at Oklahoma.<\/p>\n
It all seems like a lifetime ago, and so do the last 12 months.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Gotterup showed up at the Scottish Open last year at No. 158 in the world. His only PGA Tour title was in 2024 at the Myrtle Beach Classic against a weak field because it was held opposite one of the $20 million signature events.<\/p>\n
He now has as many PGA Tour wins \u2014 four \u2014 as Scottie Scheffler in the last year.<\/p>\n
Gotterup took on Rory McIlroy and a Scottish crowd at The Renaissance Club to win the Scottish Open last year. In his three victories this year, he closed with a 64 in the Sony Open, a 64 in the WM Phoenix Open and a 62 when he rallied from five back to win the John Deere Classic.<\/p>\n
That makes Gotterup the only player in at least 50 years to have three wins in a season by posting 64 or lower in the final round.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
And he is No. 7 in the world, firmly planted among the elite young Americans in golf. Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa are the only other players under 30 who are among the top 10 in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like everyone\u2019s asked what have I done differently, and I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve done much differently. If I knew, I would have done it a lot longer ago,\u201d Gotterup said. \u201cI felt like I kept my head down and kept working hard on things with the help of my coaches and family and girlfriend. We try to keep things simple and it\u2019s worked out. Hopefully, keep improving, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
This rise wasn’t too much out of left field.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Sticking close to home \u2014 Gotterup was the Met Amateur champion in 2019 \u2014 didn’t bring him a lot of national attention or offers from some of the established golf programs. Gotterup wound up at Rutgers for three years and felt he improved.<\/p>\n
But then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, he had surgery on his hand and Big 10 golf became an uncertainty. Gotterup felt it was time for a change.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very comfortable at Rutgers, which was a good thing,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom New Jersey … I played there for 20-something years. I needed to be challenged a little bit. I just needed to change my whole scenery and make life a little harder.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then he made it look easy. The idea was to see how his game measured against a broader range of talent. Gotterup had such a blockbuster senior year with the Sooners that he swept all the top awards \u2014 the Ben Hogan, Haskins and Jack Nicklaus as the top college player in the country.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
So he didn’t exactly show up out of nowhere when he won at Myrtle Beach in 2024, though it took until the Scottish Open last year that he really began to pique interest.<\/p>\n
Two of his victories in the last 12 months were wind-blown coastal venues \u2014 the Firth of Forth in Scotland, the Pacific Ocean a few miles southwest of Waikiki in Honolulu. He won in desert terrain of the TPC Scottsdale and a rain-soaked, tree-lined course at the TPC Deere Run.<\/p>\n
That was part of his reasoning in leaving New Jersey for Oklahoma.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe traveled all over the country,\u201d he said. \u201cI needed to be able to play on Bermuda grass. I needed to play in the wind and play against different teams and just see where I stack up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Gotterup returns with a high world ranking and higher expectations against one of the strongest fields of the year that features Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy, along with the likes of Jon Rahm (LIV Golf) and Patrick Reed (European tour) in a tournament seen as a dress rehearsal for the British Open.<\/p>\n
Gotterup’s win at The Renaissance Club got him into his first British Open \u2014 and only his fourth major championship \u2014 and he fought to the end to finish third at Royal Portrush.<\/p>\n
Where he has been \u2014 and how he got there \u2014 is not nearly as intriguing now as where he goes. Gotterup, with a physique reminiscent of Angels outfielder Mike Trout, already has proven that he has a game that travels.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what I\u2019m capable of and these last couple months, years have been rewarding,\u201d he said. \u201cBut also, once you kind of get a taste of it, I think you want more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n