If you didn’t know Chris Gotterup before last week, you do now.
The 25-year-old thick-necked American stunned the golf world on Sunday with a career-defining victory at the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open, holding off none other than Rory McIlroy down the stretch at The Renaissance Club. Ranked No. 158 in the world coming into the event, Gotterup emerged as an unlikely champion—but if you watched him play, nothing about the win felt like a fluke.
Gotterup captured his first PGA Tour win in 2024 at the Myrtle Beach Classic, but Sunday’s triumph at the Scottish Open was a massive step up: it was his first co-sanctioned PGA Tour and DP World Tour victory, and it came against one of the strongest fields in golf just one week before The Open Championship.
The tone for Gotterup’s week was set on Friday when he fired a bogey-free 9-under 61, tying the course record. That scorching round in benign conditions included a front-nine 29 and vaulted him into what should have been a nervy 36-hole lead.
While plenty of longshots have flirted with contention in big events, few hold on when the pressure builds over the weekend. Gotterup did just that—grinding out a Saturday 70 before closing with a calm, clutch 4-under 66 in the final round, earning him the victory and $1,575,000, the biggest payday of his career.
Sharing the 54-hole lead with four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, Gotterup knew Sunday wouldn’t be easy. And it wasn’t. He faced slow-play warnings, windy Scottish conditions, and the weight of trying to win the biggest tournament of his life.
But the New Jersey native didn’t flinch. After a stumble with a bogey on the 15th, he bounced back with a crucial birdie at the 16th to reestablish his cushion. McIlroy couldn’t apply enough pressure late, paring his final 10 holes.
When the dust settled, Gotterup finished at 15-under-par, two strokes ahead of McIlroy and Englishman Marco Penge, who both pocketed $788,175 for their hard week’s work.
“I hung in there like a champ,” Gotterup said after hoisting the trophy. “I wasn’t perfect, but I finished in style. To beat a field like this, especially with Rory breathing down your neck, is just surreal.” Well said, young buck.
Indeed, it was a breakthrough performance—one that not only earned him a big novelty check and a cool trophy, but also delivered exemptions into The Open Championship this week, the 2026 Masters, 2026 PGA Championship, and the 2026 Players Championship. His career path and bank account both gave him big smooches yesterday evening.
With two wins under his belt and a growing reputation as a fearless ball-striker, Gotterup is officially on golf’s radar. He’s no longer just a big hitter with promise—he’s a proven closer who just took down a Hall of Famer on a global stage.
Next up? He’ll tee it up at Royal Portrush this week in the 2025 Open Championship with more eyes—and expectations—than ever before.
Don’t be surprised if he makes noise there too.
Winners & Losers from Sunday at the Scottish Open:
Winner: Gutterup. He didn’t back down from Rory Sunday. Rory could have applied more pressure, but the golf gods had other plans. Beating Rory in match play, which Sunday more or less turned into, is not easy to do, especially for a one-time PGA TOUR winner. Gutterup stepped up big time.
Loser: Wyndham Clark. Playing in the final group Sunday, Clark limped home and posted 1-over, dropping eight spots on the leaderboard. He has more missed cuts this season than top 10s and has established himself as the PGA TOUR’s next heel.
Winner: Justin Rose. After attending Wimbledon two weeks ago with his wife and looking like a dapper English gent, Rose returned to playing golf for a living and posted a final round 7-under 63 yesterday that included sinking a snake on 18. He finished solo 6th and will have plenty of confidence heading into the Open Championship this week.
Winner: Xander Schauffele. He had a quietly strong week, including posting a 66 yesterday. His T-8 finish tied for the lowest of his season. Will he contend at Portrush this week? Don’t bet against the San Diegan.
Loser: Jake Knapp. His 4-over 74 yesterday not only cost him a pretty penny, but it also cost him a spot in this week’s Open Championship field. He missed earning one of the final exemptions into the tourney by a single shot. His flight home to CA was surely a tough one.
2025 Scottish Open Prize Money Payouts
| Pos. | Name | Score | Earnings |
| 1 | Chris Gotterup | -15 | $1,575,000 |
| T2 | Marco Penge | -13 | $788,175 |
| T2 | Rory McIlroy | -13 | $788,175 |
| T4 | Nicolai Hojgaard | -12 | $407,250 |
| T4 | Matt Fitzpatrick | -12 | $407,250 |
| 6 | Justin Rose | -11 | $322,200 |
| 7 | Sepp Straka | -10 | $287,550 |
| T8 | Xander Schauffele | -9 | $233,400 |
| T8 | Scottie Scheffler | -9 | $233,400 |
| T8 | Ludvig Åberg | -9 | $233,400 |
| T11 | Viktor Hovland | -8 | $189,675 |
| T11 | Wyndham Clark | -8 | $189,675 |
| T13 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout | -7 | $153,450 |
| T13 | Taylor Pendrith | -7 | $153,450 |
| T13 | Kristoffer Reitan | -7 | $153,450 |
| T13 | Andrew Novak | -7 | $153,450 |
| T17 | Adam Scott | -6 | $120,510 |
| T17 | Harry Hall | -6 | $120,510 |
| T17 | Andy Sullivan | -6 | $120,510 |
| T17 | Matti Schmid | -6 | $120,510 |
| T17 | Tom Kim | -6 | $120,510 |
| T22 | Nick Taylor | -5 | $82,145 |
| T22 | Grant Forrest | -5 | $82,145 |
| T22 | Nico Echavarria | -5 | $82,145 |
| T22 | Jordan Smith | -5 | $82,145 |
| T22 | Jorge Campillo | -5 | $82,145 |
| T22 | Maverick McNealy | -5 | $82,145 |
| T22 | Matt McCarty | -5 | $82,145 |
| T22 | Richard Mansell | -5 | $82,145 |
| T22 | Justin Thomas | -5 | $82,145 |
| T22 | Antoine Rozner | -5 | $82,145 |
| T22 | Harris English | -5 | $82,145 |
| T22 | Jake Knapp | -5 | $82,145 |
| T34 | Sebastian Soderberg | -4 | $52,950 |
| T34 | Alex Smalley | -4 | $52,950 |
| T34 | Laurie Canter | -4 | $52,950 |
| T34 | Si Woo Kim | -4 | $52,950 |
| T34 | Michael Kim | -4 | $52,950 |
| T34 | Tommy Fleetwood | -4 | $52,950 |
| T34 | Elvis Smylie | -4 | $52,950 |
| T34 | Marcel Siem | -4 | $52,950 |
| T34 | Kevin Yu | -4 | $52,950 |
| T43 | Yannik Paul | -3 | $40,950 |
| T43 | Jesper Svensson | -3 | $40,950 |
| T43 | Ugo Coussaud | -3 | $40,950 |
| T43 | Victor Perez | -3 | $40,950 |
| T47 | Aaron Rai | -2 | $34,860 |
| T47 | Corey Conners | -2 | $34,860 |
| T47 | Sam Burns | -2 | $34,860 |
| T50 | Keith Mitchell | -1 | $29,754 |
| T50 | Matt Wallace | -1 | $29,754 |
| T50 | Jhonattan Vegas | -1 | $29,754 |
| T50 | Brian Harman | -1 | $29,754 |
| T50 | Francesco Laporta | -1 | $29,754 |
| T55 | John Parry | E | $25,920 |
| T55 | Keita Nakajima | E | $25,920 |
| T55 | Bud Cauley | E | $25,920 |
| T55 | Romain Langasque | E | $25,920 |
| T55 | Daniel Berger | E | $25,920 |
| T60 | Alejandro Del Rey | 1 | $23,220 |
| T60 | Gary Woodland | 1 | $23,220 |
| T60 | Sami Valimaki | 1 | $23,220 |
| T60 | Daniel Brown | 1 | $23,220 |
| T60 | Thorbjorn Olesen | 1 | $23,220 |
| T65 | Jacques Kruyswijk | 2 | $19,800 |
| T65 | Ryan Fox | 2 | $19,800 |
| T65 | Robert MacIntyre | 2 | $19,800 |
| T65 | Sam Bairstow | 2 | $19,800 |
| T65 | Luke Clanton | 2 | $19,800 |
| T65 | Dale Whitnell | 2 | $19,800 |
| T71 | Padraig Harrington | 3 | $18,810 |
| T71 | Thomas Detry | 3 | $18,810 |
| 73 | Martin Couvra | 4 | $18,540 |
| 74 | Ryan Gerard | 5 | $18,360 |
| T75 | Jacob Bridgeman | 6 | $18,000 |
| T75 | Connor Syme | 6 | $18,000 |
| T75 | Sam Stevens | 6 | $18,000 |
| 78 | Henrik Norlander | 7 | $17,640 |
| 79 | Byeong Hun An | 8 | $17,460 |
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