Gotterup ready for more success after John Deere Classic win

SILVIS — No question Chris Gotterup is ready to defend his title in the Scottish Open this week.

Last year Gotterup was the surprise winner in a duel with Rory McIlroy in that event but — after his impressive victory in the John Deere Classic on Sunday — Gotterup’s game is ready for the biggest European events.

Gotterup, with his brother Patrick working as his caddie, shot a 9-under-par 62 in the final round of the 55th JDC at TPC Deere Run. He needed a spectacular finish like that to get the win.

Starting the day four shots behind co-leaders Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges, Gotterup birdied four of the first five holes and had climbed 11 positions in the standings when he finished his round. Thanks to 13 one-putt greens, he was at 20-under-par 264 for the 72 holes and earned $1,584,000.

“I got off to a great start to put myself in the mix,” he said. “Hopefully this will be a good prep (for the Scottish and British Opens the next two weeks), but the courses are very different.”

Gotterup was on the practice range warming up while five more groups were finishing their rounds. Max Homa finished with a 64, but his tee shot on the last hole hit a tree and his second shot finished on the fringe of the green. His birdie putt from there wouldn’t drop.

Ben Kohles needed a par at 18 to force a playoff but put his second shot went in the water and he wound up tied for third with 2021 JDC champion Glover, who led the first three rounds, and Hodges.

Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim shot a bogey-free 68 but his bid for a first PGA Tour win wasn’t to be. He had his best finish in seven JDC appearances — a tie for sixth — and learned he made some golf history with his 65 round on Saturday. Ghim hit every fairway and every green in regulation, the first such round on the PGA Tour since 2014 and only the 10th recorded since 1983.

Gotterup was emotional after the win when he reflected on his first JDC appearance, a tie for fourth in 2022 after he got in the field on a sponsor’s exemption. In subsequent times he’s called the tournament “my fifth major.”

“That tournament really kick-started my whole career, honestly,” he said. “At the time I had no (playing) status anywhere. To get a fourth here was the biggest tournament of my life at that point. To be able to come back and win makes it even more special.”

He divided his college career at Rutgers and Oklahoma before turning pro.

Gotterup returned to the JDC in 2024, missing the cut, and 2025, when he tied for 21st. He’s had bigger moments as well, topped by the surprise win in the Irish Open and his first PGA Tour victory, the debut of the Myrtle Beach Classic in 2024.

The JDC win was his third PGA Tour victory of 2026, following the Phoenix Open and Sony Open in Hawaii.