Chris Gotterup doubled his career earnings with strong play at Scottish, British Opens
Before he left, the 26-year-old New Jersey native had career earnings of $2,768,333. His earnings from the Scottish and British Opens? $2,703,000. Taxes will take a chunk out of that but still a pretty good haul for two weeks of work.
One week after going toe to toe with Rory McIlroy in the final group at the Scottish Open to notch his second PGA Tour victory, Gotterup made his major debut and shot a final-round 4-under 67 at Royal Portrush Golf Club to finish third.
'I expected to play well, but I don't think I expected quite this well," said Gotterup, whose father's parents both hailed from Denmark. "I don't know what's going on over here, but maybe my European blood in me a little bit has come to life,' he said.
Gotterup hadn't recorded a single top-10 finish this season on the PGA Tour prior to his two-week hot streak overseas and had missed nine cuts in 23 starts. So, what's been the difference?
'I don't have an answer. I wish I had it. I would have used it a long time ago,' said Gotterup, who vaulted to No. 27 in the Official World Golf Ranking. 'Just something clicked, and I'm going to ride it as long as I can.'
Color Harris English, who finished second to Scottie Scheffler and was paired with Gotterup on Sunday, impressed.
'He can flight it, he can smash it,' English said. 'I've played in, I don't know, nine or 10 of these and finished 14th (previous best), and for him to first one finish third is pretty incredible. Got a heck of a game, and I know the best is in front of him. I don't know why it took him to long to play well out here.'
All of a sudden, Gotterup has emerged as a potential pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
'It really wasn't ever on my radar. I obviously hoped to play well, and it would be a miracle,' he said. 'I really haven't thought about it one bit. A month ago I really hadn't thought about it at all.'
At No. 22 in the U.S. Ryder Cup points rankings, he's still a longshot but if he can remain hot during the FedEx Cup Playoffs, his length would be an asset and there aren't 12 American golfers playing better than he is right now.
One thing is for sure: having stared down McIlroy last week and more than held his own in his majors debut, Gotterup has got to be on U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley's radar now if he wasn't already.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: British Open: Chris Gotterup finishes third, doubles career earnings
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Auburn golfer Brendan Valdes earns top 20 finish at 3M Open
Former Auburn star golfer Brendan Valdes had the best performance of his young professional career last weekend. A member of the 2024 National Championship team, Valdes finished in the top 20 at the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities with a 15-under par performance. The 22-year-old finished his tournament with a better score than many veteran PGA Tour members such as Ricky Fowler, Max Homa, and the 2024 3M Open champion, Jhonattan Vegas. Valdes has now made the cut in his first two career PGA Tour events. Valdes set the golf media into a frenzy with his back nine performance in his first round on Thursday, birdieing seven of his final nine holes to finish with a bogey-free round. The opening round 64 put Valdes right at the top of the leaderboard after Thursday, before he struggled on Friday, finishing even to hold firm at 7-under par heading into the weekend. The Orlando, Florida native re-found some magic over the weekend, shooting a 3-under par 68 on 'Moving Day' before ending his tournament with a 5-under par 66 on Sunday. His 15-under par showing was three strokes within the top 10, and eight strokes behind eventual champion Kurt Kitayama's 23-under par. Now two events into his PGA career, Valdes has shown the ability to contend for a tournament title very soon. The former Tiger will likely have to wait a few weeks before he can attempt to capture his first top 10 performance, as the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs begin in August. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Lynch: The PGA Tour's new boss started work today. So what headache does he tackle first?
Brian Rolapp is so little-known that we can't hazard a guess whether he's the type to have brought along a desktop calendar of inspirational quotes for his first day on Monday as CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises. You know, boilerplate bullshit about new jobs being like blank books and that you, Brian, are its author. Or that old banality about doing the hard jobs first and the easy ones will take care of themselves. Chances are that even before he shouldered his backpack and headed off to the GloHo this morning, Rolapp understood that, for now at least, he's less the author of this book than its editor — tying up loose threads, trimming excess, erasing gaffes — and that his inbox doesn't actually contain many easy jobs. So other than booking a lesson package at the TPC Sawgrass Performance Center, what does Rolapp's priority list look like? Since he's not a product of the golf executive ecosystem — nor even really a golfer — he'll want to start forging relationships. He signaled as much in his first day social media post about being 'excited to listen and learn.' (Lesson One: it's a capital offense to wear apparel not emblazoned with Tour logos, so ditch the plain polo and get measured for your branded gear, though you should demur if Jay Monahan offers a local tailor recommendation). Who is Brian Rolapp? 5 things to know about the PGA Tour's new CEO There are plenty who will want his ear, but Rolapp should be selective in whose ear he wants. Start with meeting Jack Nicklaus to better understand the statutory obligations of his role that aren't explained by spreadsheets. Move on to stakeholders who need to be heard — sponsors, not least FedEx; tournament organizers; Tour members, current and veteran; broadcast partners; and the most important but least heeded constituency, the fans. These groups aren't always aligned in what changes they'd like to see, but time spent with each will help Rolapp grasp the fundamental chasm hurting his business. His partners all have the same end user in mind — the golf consumer — but Tour HQ prioritizes a different end user of its services: players. That gap has been woefully exposed in recent years and needs to be bridged. What undermines the ambitions of most CEOs (other than the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert) is a lack of investment capital to support their vision. Rolapp's dilemma, though, is a welcome one — how to deploy the $1.5 billion Strategic Sports Group poured into the PGA Tour 18 months ago. Not a dime of that money has been spent, and he will immediately be reviewing whatever proposals exist for its use and deciding on an investment strategy consistent with his goals. Some of that slush fund ought to be allocated to consolidating relations with the DP World Tour, building gradually toward a more global footprint, as Rolapp did at the NFL. The Tour's annual cash obligations to the European circuit are unpopular with the SSG investors, but he needs to balance the long-term health of the professional game against short-term balance sheet concerns. One of the more delicate challenges facing Rolapp is addressing the Tour's power imbalance. Some (but not all) players on the board think they are executives and some (but not all) investors fancy themselves day-to-day managers. Those two constituencies won't always agree on what is best for the Tour and neither can be trusted with ultimate power. The whiz kids of Greater Fenway think they wield it because they sign the checks, while players believe they're in control because they have the board votes. Rolapp needs to reassert executive function at headquarters, an authority that was diminished when Monahan signed the Framework Agreement and thereafter had to constantly placate his members. Attention will predictably focus, however, on how the new boss navigates the quagmire that bogged down the old boss. Talks with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia are non-existent, and the deal outlined in the Framework accord is not close to consummation, thanks to Saudi intransigence, rampant ambivalence among Tour players, and the obvious fact that any deal would involve compromising the PGA Tour product simply to save the blushes of LIV's underwriter, Yasir Al-Rumayyan. While negotiations are seen as ongoing, there will continue to be a perception that the Tour is missing a critical element that only LIV can provide, which isn't true. If Rolapp wants to emphasize his organization's momentum and flip the narrative to innovation and progress, he should cut bait and sail on. A good faith effort has yielded nothing for two years. Stop treating LIV like a serious threat and dismiss it with the derision it deserves. 'Uncertainty's not good for anybody,' said Roger Goodell, Rolapp's old boss at the NFL. As inspirational quotes go, it makes up in simplicity what it lacks in sentimentality. Still, it's not a bad one to start a work day with.
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Sky sign Sevgi Uzun to rest-of-season contract as injuries pile up
The Chicago Sky have an injury problem. This week, the front office finally took steps toward relieving the problem by waiving Moriah Jefferson and signing Turkish guard Sevgi Uzun. Additions to the injury report piled up throughout the last week, culminating in a dismal availability report for Sunday's game at the United Center. Angel Reese is expected to return from a back injury Tuesday against the Washington Mystics, but the rest of the roster is still mostly battered from a grueling season. Ariel Atkins is no closer to returning after suffering a leg injury shortly before the All-Star break. Michaela Onyenwere is attempting to play through a leg injury and Hailey Van Lith has been in and out with an ankle injury. And all of these absences are predicated on the season-ending injury suffered by starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot in June, a loss that deeply impacted the depth of the Sky roster. Jefferson has never been healthy since joining the Sky at the 2024 All-Star break. She appeared in only five games this season and managed to play more than eight minutes in a game only once. The guard tallied a total of 159 minutes for the Sky over two half-seasons. General manager Jeff Pagliocca previously told the Tribune that the Sky planned to maintain Jefferson's contract for two reasons — primarily in the hopes that the guard would return to full health, but additionally to provide time to scout and recruit players who were competing in EuroBasket. Although the Sky did ultimately replace Jefferson with a European player, this is more of a stopgap solution for the team than a major swing on an international star, such as the New York Liberty made in acquiring Emma Meesseman last week. A 27-year-old veteran of the Turkish SuperLeague, Uzun will offer another option at the point guard position, which the Sky had previously been filling by committee with help from Van Lith and shooting guard Rachel Banham. Uzun did not submit herself to the WNBA draft during her early years of eligibility, making her debut in the league last season with the Dallas Wings. She averaged 4.4 points, 3 assists and 0.9 steals per game with the Wings while starting in 19 of her 40 appearances. Uzun started the 2025 WNBA season on a training camp contract with the Phoenix Mercury, where she worked her way onto the main roster for seven games before being waived to participate in EuroBasket with the Turkish national team. While Uzun's addition will accommodate the severe loss of depth in the Sky roster due to injury, the front office still faces a growing list of needs heading into the Aug. 7 trade deadline and a pivotal offseason.
