PGA Tour Scottish Open: Chris Gotterup holds off Rory McIlroy to win second Tour title

Chris Gotterup might not be well-known beyond New Jersey or Oklahoma but he's been a massive talent waiting to blossom on the PGA Tour.

He took a step in that direction on July 13 when he stared down the world's No. 2-ranked player and five-time major champion, Rory McIlroy, to win the Genesis Scottish Open.

Gotterup, ranked 158th in the world entering the tournament, pulled away from a tie with McIlroy with birdies at Nos. 10 and 12 and never lost his grip on the lead as he shot 66 at the Renaissance Club to win by two shots at 15-under-par 265, denying McIlroy his 30th career PGA Tour title.

McIlroy (68), who missed four birdie putt attempts of 14 feet or less and played the three par-5 holes at 1-over, needed a birdie-bogey swing on the final hole to force a playoff. But Gotterup pounded his drive in the fairway and two-putted from 59 feet and McIlroy missed a 30-foot birdie attempt.

Chris Gotterup qualified for British Open

Gotterup, who was the Big Ten Player of the Year at Rutgers in 2020 and the Big 12 Player of the Year at Oklahoma and winner of two national player of the year awards in 2022, soared from 88th to a projected 39th on the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup points race. That got him inside the top-70 that will qualify for the playoffs in four weeks for the first time this season.

He also jumped from 96th on the money list to 52nd with the $1,575,000 first-place check.

Gotterup qualified for next week's British Open in McIlroy's native Northern Ireland, at Royal Portrush, and earned spots in the 2026 Masters and Players Championship. He added two years to the PGA Tour exemption he earned in 2024 when he won his first title, the Myrtle Beach Classic.

Chris Gotterup finished atop an international leaderboard

Marco Penge of England (66) tied McIlroy for second at 13-under and had a chance to tie Gotterup for the lead with three holes to play, but missed an 8-foot birdie attempt at No. 16.

Nicola Hojgaard of Denmark (64) and Matthew Fitzpatrick of England (67) tied for fourth at 12-under. Justin Rose of England (63) finish alone in sixth at 11-under.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (67), who retained his lead on the FedEx Cup and money lists, tied for eighth at 9-under.

Rory McIlroy has his chances

McIlroy overcame an early bogey at the par-5 third hole with birdie putts of 8 feet at Nos. 4 and 5, and a 13-footer at No. 8. Gotterup kept pace with birdies at Nos. 5, 7 and 8.

But McIlroy missed an 11-foot birdie attempt at No. 9, an 11-foot attempt at No. 10, and a 4-footer at No. 12. Gotterup, in the meantime, took the lead for good with his 5-footer for birdie at No. 10 and a tap-in of less than 3 feet at No. 12.

Gotterup had only one moment when his hold on the lead looked less than solid. He bogeyed No. 15 after being put on the clock by rules officials, then faced a 10-footer for birdie at the par-5 16th following a drive and second shot that found the rough.

He poured that putt in, however, and safely parred the final two holes.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: PGA Tour Scottish Open: Upstart Chris Gotterup holds off Rory McIlroy to win