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mark schlabach
multiple authors
Pebble Beach, California – First Time chris gotterup Played Pebble Beach Golf Links, a reward from his father for achieving par for the first time.
The 13-year-old carded a 2-under 69 at Rumson Country Club in New Jersey and a trip to the Monterey Peninsula’s famed course with his father and brother was his prize.
On Thursday, Gotterup, now 26, will debut as one of the favorites in the 80-man pro field at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the first signature event of the PGA Tour season.
After earning his second win in three starts this season hideki matasuyama Heading into the first playoff hole at last week’s WM Phoenix Open, Gottrup is the fifth-ranked golfer in the world. He is the second highest-ranked American, behind only World No. 1 Scotty Scheffler.
Gottrup’s four wins over the past four seasons are more than any other golfer on the tour except Scheffler and the reigning Masters champion. Rory McIlroy. Gotterup has won three times in his last 10 starts dating back to last year.
“I’m just trying to keep my head straight and not get on my skis too much,” Gotterup said.
How rapid has Gottrup’s rise been over the past two seasons? Last year, he couldn’t even qualify for the Pebble Beach event as the 206th ranked golfer in the world.
Scheffler, whose 20 career wins on tour include four major championships, stood behind Gottrup in the lunch line at Pebble Beach earlier this week.
Scheffler joked, “I’m going to eat what you’re eating.”
“He’s doing pretty well on his own, so I’m not too worried about him,” said Gotterup, who also won the season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii on Jan. 18 by two strokes.
Gottrup’s talent was evident during his only season at Oklahoma in 2021-22. He had a scoring average of 69.8 in 13 events, winning the East Lake Cup and the Puerto Rico Classic. He was a consensus All-American and collected the Fred Haskins (Division I) and jack nicklaus (across divisions) awards, which go to the top collegiate golfer in the country.
Gottrup played his first four years at Rutgers, where he was the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2019–20.
Sooners coach Ryan Hybel first saw Gutterup, the Rutgers star entering his group, during an amateur tournament in Pennsylvania.
“who is that?” Hybel asked the tournament director.
“The Big Ten Player of the Year,” he replied.
The next time Hybel heard from Gotterup, the tournament director told him he had entered the transfer portal as a graduating senior.
Hybel took advantage of the opportunity to sign him and beat out Pepperdine, where his father, Morton, had earned a master’s degree.
“We only had him for one year, but he was college player of the year that year and yes, I saw it coming,” Hybel said. “He does things other guys can’t do. He hits long. He keeps it in the game. He’s a great competitor. He’s a very good iron player.”
“When you talk about PGA Tour-caliber golf, it’s rewarding. Big guys like Rory, Scheffler, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, they’re all big, long and strong and can hit high shots and low shots, do it all. That’s what Chris can do.”
Even though Gotterup finished his college career at Oklahoma, he is proud of his Northeastern roots.
keegan bradleyThe player who played at St. John’s said he often felt like an outsider when he started out on the PGA Tour. Bradley’s company is now with Gotterup and fellow New Jersey natives max grasserman, john pak And Ryan McCormick Competing on tour.
Gotterup has felt right at home throughout its first three seasons.
“I don’t know if it’s a burden on my shoulders in a way, but it’s something I’m proud of,” Gotterup said. “I think it’s a place that has a lot of pride in everything. I’m sure when I go home there are a lot of people I don’t know that care about what I’m doing because they share the same town or the same area, or we played the same courses where we grew up.”
Gotterup credits persistence for his turnaround. He won the opposite-field Myrtle Beach Classic in May 2024, but then missed the cut in five of his next seven events. In the other two he finished 61st or worse.
Last season, Gotterup was not present for the weekend in seven of his first 10 starts. He managed to play excellent golf during the summer, winning the Scottish Open and finishing tied for third in singles at The Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland.
Gotterup qualified for all three FedEx Cup playoff events and finished 10th at the Tour Championship.
“I feel like I’m more prepared now to play well week to week, where before I used to be explosive one week and then I’d miss four cuts in a row,” Gotterup said. “Now it’s much more of being even when it doesn’t feel good, when it doesn’t feel good so I’m in better control of what’s going on [my] A-game.”
Gotterup has certainly been in control of his game this season. He ranks second in strokes gained: total (2.846) and off the tee (1.111). He ranks fifth in driving distance with a 327.9-yard average.
There will be a lot at stake when they play at Pebble Beach this week. He played the course again during his only season at Oklahoma, finishing second in the 2021 Carmel Cup, hosted by Dallas car dealer Finn Ewing III.
In April, Gotterup will make his first start at the Masters. He had been to Augusta, Georgia to attend sponsor events during previous Masters weeks, but declined to attend the tournament as a spectator. He wanted to wait to see the Augusta National Golf Club course for the first time as a competitor.
“I didn’t want to go on the property until I played for real,” Gotterup said. “This time, I will gladly go there.”
Gotterup plans to play a practice round there in March.
He said, “I can tell you about every hole on that course, even if I haven’t stepped on it.”
