Throughout golf history, many Davids have taken down Goliaths.
Jack Fleck over Ben Hogan at the Olympic Club. Rod Curt over Jack Nicklaus at Colonial. Hilary Lunke over Annika Sorenstam and Angela Stanford at Pumpkin Ridge. Michael Campbell over Tiger Woods at Pinehurst. Those are just a few.
Now, add Chris Gotterup over Rory McIlroy at the Renaissance Club to the list.
The 25-year-old New Jerseyan, who entered the week ranked 158th in the world, finished at 15 under and topped McIlroy and Marco Penge in the Genesis Scottish Open by two strokes for his second PGA Tour victory.
“Knew today was going to be a battle and Rory is one of the best to ever do it,” Gotterup said. “Happy I edged him out. It wasn’t going to be an easy day.”
Gotterup might have been a novice on links courses, but he’s no slouch. He played four years at Rutgers before joining the Oklahoma Sooners in 2021 for his fifth year of eligibility and won the Haskins and Nicklaus awards as the country’s top college player.
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Chris Gotterup wins by two strokes in Scotland 👏 pic.twitter.com/OFeUVzFtZH
Seventh in driving distance on Tour at 316 yards, four yards shorter than No. 2 McIlroy, Gotterup bombed his way to the top of the leaderboard with a second-round 61.
At the start of the final round, he and McIlroy were tied at 11 under and it stayed that way as they made the turn. Gotterup, however, birdied Nos. 10 and 12 while McIlroy parred nine straight.
Despite falling short, it’s McIlroy’s best finish since completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters and he now heads to his hometown British Open next week at Portrush seemingly with a newfound hunger.
“It’s been a great week,” the 36-year-old Northern Irishman said after a final-round 68. “I’m really happy with where my game is, the way I played over the weekend, the shots that I hit, how I controlled my ball flight. It has been a great week. Missing the trophy, that’s about it.”
With the tournament winding down, things got precarious on the par-4 15th. Gotterup, a slower player, was put on the clock. Apparently rattled, he flew the green on his approach and made bogey. But on the next hole, he extended the lead back to two by getting up and down from the greenside rough for birdie.
“I got individually timed, which was shocking,” Gotterup said, “and so that got my blood going a little bit more than it was already going trying to win a golf tournament.”
Known for his skills on the tee box, Gotterup can attribute his breakthrough triumph to his performance on the greens this week, where he gained over seven strokes, ranking sixth in the field that boasted eight of the top 10 players. This season on Tour, Gotterup was 126th in strokes-gained putting.
Up by two on the 72nd hole, Gotterup smashed his drive 323 yards and knocked a pitching wedge to 59 feet en route to a winning par.
Moments afterward on the 18th green, he couldn’t hold back tears.
“Give me a sec,” he said. “I don't know if I’m going to be able to get it out, but everyone at home, I don’t know, but I mean, this is awesome. I'm not going to be able to keep it together.”
In 21 starts this year, Gotterup didn’t have a top 10. Now, with the victory under his belt, he’ll make his fourth major start next week in his British Open debut.
If he can prolong the form he showed in Scotland, Gotterup will no longer be considered a David.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Underdog Chris Gotterup Outduels Rory McIlroy to Win Genesis Scottish Open.
