It was not only the fact that Chris Gotterup won the Genesis Scottish Open which helped launch the American as a household name, but also that he got across the line after playing in the final group on Sunday at The Renaissance Club with Rory McIlroy.
Heading into the last round at the Genesis Scottish Open, Chris Gotterup and Rory McIlroy were tied for the lead.
With the 26-year-old missing nine cuts already this season, and McIlroy winning the event back in 2023, it was difficult to see anything other than another victory for the Northern Irishman.
But Gotterup was able to go head to head with McIlroy, as well as Wyndham Clark – who joined the pair in the final group.
Chris Gotterup explains what Rory McIlroy was like after the final round of the Genesis Scottish Open
Gotterup ended up winning by two shots to secure only his second PGA Tour victory. It looks to be a win which could transform his career, with Gotterup now in the Ryder Cup conversation. He has also given himself a brilliant opportunity to make the Tour Championship.
And it seems that McIlroy recognised the magnitude of the win for Gotterup’s career.
Speaking on 5 Clubs, Gotterup spoke about the pressure of trying to hold off McIlroy and Clark, as well as how the five-time major champion treated him after the round.
“I don’t know, if anything, it probably helped me because I had time to prepare, and the fact that I knew I was going to have to bring it. And I was playing with Wyndham as well, who’s a major champion, multiple time winner. When you have those guys behind you, especially when you’re playing with them, you know I’m going to have to go put up a good score today because one of them was going to play well along with the other guys in the groups behind,” he said.
“It was funny, we were talking off the [18th tee box], we hadn’t talked on the back nine much just because we were opponents in the heat of the battle. But someone said something from the crowd along the lines of, ‘Chris you need to lose this so Rory can win’. And Rory said something to the guy and we were just laughing about how people, no matter where you go, someone’s always going to say something dumb and we were just laughing. We were just talking about stuff that’s happened.
“It was cool after the round. He was very nice and he said congrats. I think he realised for me it was a big moment in my career. And I think I did a good job of stepping up to the plate and didn’t back down from him, and I think he probably respected that a little bit.”
Chris Gotterup asked which PGA Tour player is the most fun to play alongside
Gotterup’s form appears to have come almost from nowhere. However, his results were trending in the right direction for some time, with eight of his nine missed cuts this year coming before the first major of the season.
Along the way, the youngster – who went on to finish third at The Open Championship – will have played with all sorts of players, having gone from the events with a lower profile to the marquee groupings on the big stages.
So there is potentially no better player to ask about the best to play alongside. Interestingly, he opted for the third man in the group that last day in Scotland.
“It’s a good question. I don’t know. I will say last week I played three rounds with Wyndham and we had a good time out there. Our caddies are really good friends. He likes to give it to me, and I’ll give it back to him. So yeah, Lucas Glover‘s great. There’s a lot of guys who are fun to play with, I would have a hard time saying off the top of my head,” he said.
He may have to start thinking a little more about the players he enjoys teeing it up with, with Keegan Bradley keeping Gotterup in mind as the Ryder Cup looms.
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