Chris Gotterup has further established himself as one of the most exciting talents on the PGA Tour with his superb win at the WM Phoenix Open this past week.
When Chris Gotterup bogeyed the 12th hole on Sunday at the WM Phoenix Open, you would have looked foolish had you backed him for anything more than a top 10 finish.
Give us one reason why Chris Gotterup could be the man to challenge Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy
Gotterup began his 2026 in fine style with a win at the Sony Open…
However, the 26-year-old played TPC Scottsdale’s final six holes in five under par to snatch the clubhouse lead from Scottie Scheffler.
Ultimately, he would end up in a playoff with Hideki Matsuyama.
Chris Gotterup is issued with a warning despite his victory at the WM Phoenix Open
Matsuyama had done a remarkable job of remaining out in front despite having an awful day off the tee. Unfortunately for him, a wayward drive in the playoff put paid to his hopes of victory.
With that, Gotterup became the first two-time winner on the PGA Tour this season following his win at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.
Gotterup appears to have the makings of a real superstar. He beat Rory McIlroy on Sunday to win last year’s Scottish Open, while he completely outshone Scheffler while playing with the world number one on Thursday in Arizona.
But he does remain a work in progress. And speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Arron Oberholser outlined the one concern he still has when it comes to Gotterup.
“We’re talking about four wins now, so now we’re getting into, okay, now we’ve got to start talking about invitationals and signature events, and contending and competing in those. Obviously, the win at the Scottish Open was a big event, co-sanctioned DP World Tour event with the PGA Tour, but now we’re getting into signature season,” he said.
“Next week it’s Pebble, and then it’s LA, and then it’s Bay Hill, and I really want to see how he performs in those limited field events against truly the best of the best. It will be interesting how he progresses to that level. And then, can he contend at Sawgrass, at a Players Championship? Can he contend at Augusta National?
“I would say as the golf courses get harder and harder, and the level that you have to have becomes finite as far as where you need to land shots, how you need to hit certain shots, that’s where I think if he’s going to be exposed, that’s where I think we’re going to see some exposure where he really needs to work on his game.
“If you’re asking me right now, which you are, I’m going to say his wedge game. He needs to improve his wedge game. And it’s the problem, I’ll get super golfy for a second. He has the most forward shaft lean of anybody I’ve ever seen on the PGA Tour, damn near anybody I’ve ever seen on the PGA Tour. So much forward shaft lean.
“The problem with that much forward shaft lean, especially when you get into the higher lofted clubs is you get inconsistencies with impact and turf interaction. Some balls will slide up the face, some balls will launch off real low and hot, so it’s really hard to control your distance.
“I noticed that a little bit at Sony in Hawaii when I was following him that he did show certain signs of having some issues in that 75 to 125 yard area. If anything going forward, he’s going to have some issues with the wedge play.”
Where Chris Gotterup ranks on the PGA Tour for approaches inside 125 yards
It may perhaps be an area of the game that Gotterup looks to improve in the coming months. The expectations are increasing for him with almost every appearance.
He clearly has the talent to battle it out with the best players, and he is not fazed by the bigger stages. But perhaps he will start looking into the improvements he can make to take that next step.
Gotterup is currently 55th on the PGA Tour for approaches between 50 and 125 yards, leaving himself just under 17 feet on average from those distances.
He was 150th in the same category in 2025.
It is too soon to say whether he has made a significant improvement. Most players will surely suggest that they are just getting up to speed at the start of the new season.
But there is no question that he has an astonishing amount of talent, and is quickly becoming one of the best competitors on the PGA Tour.
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