Chris Gotterup has been in sensational form over the past three weeks and as a result, he’s now in with a real chance of being on the Ryder Cup team in September.
Gotterup would admit himself that he was somewhat of a no-name before his dramatic win at The Scottish Open three weeks ago.
However, he proved that he wasn’t just a flash in the pan with a third-place finish at The Open and then a tie for 10th at the 3M Open last week.
Gotterup’s fine recent form has seen him become an instant star on the PGA Tour, with him now included regularly in the featured group coverage.
His rise up the world rankings, the FedEx Cup points list and the Ryder Cup standings over the past three weeks has been truly remarkable.
And US captain Keegan Bradley now has a big decision to make.
Chris Gotterup confirms if he’s spoken to Keegan Bradley about the Ryder Cup
Gotterup’s recent form has seen him fly up to 20th spot in the US Ryder Cup standings.
With three events still to play this season, he will need a very strong finish to the season if he is to qualify automatically for the team.
However, as things stand, the 26-year-old looks like he’s in a very good position to receive a captain’s pick from Bradley.
He responded when asked by Gary Williams on The 5 Clubs Podcast whether he is thinking about playing on the Ryder Cup team.
He said: “Yeah, I’ve talked about it a little bit. But at the end of the day I know, I’ve got an important three-week stretch coming up here. Whether the Ryder Cup exists or not, I want to finish as high up the FedEx Cup as I can, and get ready to go off-season, and whatever comes with that, comes with that.“
Gotterup was then asked whether he has already spoken to Bradley about being on the team.
The Scottish Open champion replied: “We have exchanged texts, but that’s about it.“
If Bradley hasn’t texted Gotterup telling him that he wants him on his team at Bethpage, the 39-year-old will have missed a big trick.
Two stats prove Chris Gotterup has to be on the Ryder Cup team
Make no mistake about it, these last three weeks have not come completely out of the blue.
While Gotterup missed plenty of cuts at the start of the season, he has only failed to make the weekend once since April.
He is a very solid golfer who is built to play on a Ryder Cup team.
Firstly, his length off the tee at Bethpage Black will be very useful indeed. He ranks ninth in driving distance on the PGA Tour and 11th in average ball speed.
He’s sixth in final round scoring average. That is a seriously big deal as it proves he’s very good under the pressure of playing when it really matters.
As an example of the company he is keeping, Scottie Scheffler is third on that list, with Rory McIlroy in eighth and Justin Thomas in ninth.
In addition to that, Gotterup is currently sitting in fourth position in overall scoring average.
The combination of Gotterup’s prodigious length off the tee and his exceptional ability to perform well under pressure means that Bradley would be silly to leave the 26-year-old off the Ryder Cup team.
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