It would be a mistake to make too many sweeping observations after the first tournament of the season. Players are still limbering up after going into hibernation in the off-season, with many merely looking to make sure their game hasn’t completely abandoned them.
In the case of Chris Gotterup; I think we could be looking at something a little more meaningful. The affable Gotterup produced a stunning Sunday display at Waialae, shooting six-under 66 to secure his 3rd PGA Tour title in as many years (it also helped him break into the top 20 of the OWGR). The big-hitting American has worked relentlessly on his game and looks set to become a more consistent leaderboard presence.
Mercurial rise to stardom
Gotterup made his PGA Tour debut in 2024 and struggled for consistency, missing 13 of 25 cuts in his first full season. He luckily managed to shine when all the big dogs were away, claiming a maiden PGA Tour title at the Myrtle Beach Classic (an opposite field event). That performance ensured that he retained his card. He enjoyed another boom-or-bust campaign last season, failing to register a top-ten finish before an incredible transatlantic odyssey saw him win the Genesis Scottish Open and finish solo 3rd at the Open. That links-inspired one-two punch helped him advance to the BMW Championship, securing qualification for this season’s Signature Events.
Exorcising Waialae demons
Let’s just say that the 26-year-old has endured a complicated relationship with the Sony Open. The Korn Ferry graduate began his rookie season at Waialae in 2024. He was only their in a spectator capacity, mandated to attend due to the rookie orientation system. He then went on to miss the cut on debut last year. Given that slightly traumatic recent history, he could have been forgiven for perhaps not relishing this heavily doglegged layout. But he never betrayed any fear last week, using his smash-and-gouge approach to great effect around the traditional layout.
Evolving as a player
Chris Gotterup is very much a player of the times, using his prodigious length off the tee to bludgeon courses into submission. But he has struggled when closer in proximity to the hole, losing a large amount of shots with his wedge while also lagging in the mid-range putting stakes. He wasn’t dynamite with the wedge last week, but he thrived with that TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter, finishing the tournament 7th in SG: Putting. If he can remain reasonably consistent with the flatstick, there’s no telling how far he can go.
Staring down Rory
Outside of brute power, composure is perhaps the young American’s most impressive characteristic. He won his first tournament by six strokes and barely blinked when paired with Rory McIlroy in the final round of last year’s Genesis Scottish Open. With McIlroy worshipped like a god whenever he tees it up in Britain, Gotterup was essentially the pantomime villain of that play. He appears to have a preternatural calmness in high-pressure situations.
The joys of an uncluttered mind
Speaking after his Sony triumph, Gotterup was asked about the future of the event (it is at risk of being dropped from next year’s schedule). He bumbled his way through a few sentences and ultimately gave up, saying that was ‘just spewing nonsense’. Therin may lie the reason he is so calm under pressure: he isn’t an overly introspective guy. He gives off a bit of a DJ aura- easy come, easy go. The sky is really the limit for the burly Gotterup. He has a winner’s mentality, becoming the first player since Tom Kim to win three events in 70 starts or less.
