This time last year, Chris Gotterup was on his way to Scotland as a relatively unknown player. He was ranked 165th in the world and had just one PGA Tour victory (2024 Myrtle Beach Classic) under his belt.
Then he had a great week at the Scottish Open, holding off Rory McIlroy by two shots to get the biggest win of his career and more people started to take notice of the then-25-year-old from Oklahoma.
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Fast forward to the present day and now everyone in the golf world knows who Gotterup is and they all know something very important about him—he’s officially a problem.
We mean that in the best of ways, of course. This past Sunday, Gotterup went into the final round of the John Deere Classic trailing the leader by five shots. Then he fired a nine-under 62 and walked away with yet another trophy. That was his third win of the season and his fourth win in the last 12 months. Making this one all the more special was the fact that he had his brother, Patrick, caddying for him. Gotterup was in tears when he won and shared a hug with his brother that they’ll never forget.
"Definitely not what I had in the cards,” Gotterup said of his comeback win,”but I'll take those cards dealt to me, for sure."
Gotterup is now ranked No. 7 in the world and heads overseas for the Scottish Open this week and British Open next week. It wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if he picks up even more wins.
He had a great answer after his victory at the John Deere when asked about what all of this success means to him.
"I think it’s always a work in progress. We're all crazy—golfers,” He said. “The bads feel really bad even though they're not that bad, and the goods feel like you're unbeatable. This whole year has been really good, if you look at it in a big picture, but I obviously got off to a great start and was grinding it out in the middle of the year, but that's not unexpected. Hopefully this kick-starts some other great stuff. I'd be lying if I said this year wasn't a massive success.”
Gotterup was being honest, this season has been a life-changing one for him. He kicked it off by winning two of the first three events of the season, including at the raucous Waste Management Phoenix Open. He has made the cut in all three major championships so far and will be looking to be a factor at the British Open next week at famed Royal Birkdale Golf Club.
Gotterup will get his next big test this week at the Scottish Open. The star-studded field includes Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy and it is the perfect test to get players ready for the British Open.
In golf, there’s nothing more dangerous than a confident player and Gotterup seems to be exactly that. Now he just won’t be able to sneak up on anyone.
