Despite matching Scottie Scheffler win for win, Chris Gotterup is still flying under the radar

If one were asked which player has won the most times on the PGA Tour over the last 365 days, most would pick the low-hanging fruit and blurt out the name of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. And they would be correct. Scheffler’s tally is four over the last year, but he is not alone at that number.However, it’s not Rory McIlroy or Matt Fitzpatrick standing alongside Scheffler in that top spot but rather Chris Gotterup, a 26-year-old American who had only won once on the PGA Tour entering last year’s Scottish Open. Gotterup (No. 7) is the youngest player inside the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings, and only Ludvig Åberg (his junior by three months) matches up inside the top 20. He trails only Scheffler in terms of PGA Tour victories since the spring of 2024, when Gotterup picked up the first of his career at the Myrtle Beach Classic.Since then, his victories have been varied. There have been come-from-behind efforts, like on Sunday at the 2026 John Deere Classic, playoff wins, such as the one over Hideki Matsuyama at the WM Phoenix Open, and successful 54-hole conversions, like fending off McIlroy at the 2025 Scottish Open, which kicked off his recent string of success.

Still, there seems to be a lag in how Gotterup is viewed by the broader golfing world. His game has caught up to the world’s best, his stature is right behind, but he’s not viewed as among the top players in the world.

Highest-ranked players in their 20s

Gotterup has more wins than the likes of Young and Åberg, who are often labeled as the likeliest first-time major winners whenever those championships roll around. In fact, he now has more victories than those two combined (four). Before his T43 at the U.S. Open, Gotterup had rattled off four straight top-25 finishes in majors, including a solo third-place finish in last year’s Open at Royal Portrush.

His game translates anywhere. Need to take it deep? Well, he has final-round scores of 64, 64 and 62 en route to victory in 2026 alone. His win at the Scottish Open came courtesy of a third-round 61. The ceiling is close to being established, but with young, budding stars, it is the floor that serves as the foundation of what is to come.

And Gotterup has one that is only getting sturdier.

“I really felt like I grinded it out this week,” he mentioned at the John Deere Classic. “Obviously, [Sunday] it kind of all came together, but the first three days I didn’t have my best stuff. I talked about it earlier in the week that even my not-so-good stuff has gotten a lot better, which is great. Then obviously to come out [Sunday] and to shoot 9 under was awesome. Definitely not what I had in the cards, but I’ll take those cards dealt to me, for sure.”

While it would be fun to be perfect across 72 holes, professional golfers know it is impossible. The off days are just as important — more important, in fact — than those when everything is clicking. Based on how easy they make the game look, you may think they are common, but they are few and far between.

It’s about scratching, clawing and positioning oneself for Sunday. Creating an opportunity for victory. Gotterup has been doing that better than almost anyone else over the last year, and he continues to capitalize on it. 

Whether the pinpointed reason is his course management, overall game, sense of the moment or a combination of all, what’s clear is that he has the mental fortitude and competitive nature to prevail in such circumstances.

“I think it’s always a work in progress. We’re all crazy, golfers. The bad feel really bad even though they’re not that bad, and the goods feel like you’re unbeatable,” Gotterup mentioned. “[Sunday] I obviously had a really good day. This whole year has been really good, if you look at it in a big picture, but I obviously got off to a great start and was grinding it out in the middle of the year. But that’s not unexpected. 

“Hopefully, this kick-starts some other great stuff. Yeah, I’d be lying if I mentioned this year wasn’t a massive success. Hopefully I still have some tournaments left, and hopefully keep it going and running into the end of the year.”