11 months ago
20
Associated Press
Jul 13, 2025, 02:59 PM ET
NORTH BERWICK, Scotland -- Chris Gotterup had a level summons for California to play an opposite-field lawsuit successful Lake Tahoe. The lone alteration successful itinerary would beryllium to instrumentality down Rory McIlroy astatine the Scottish Open earlier a sellout assemblage expecting the Masters champion to assertion his 30th rubric connected the PGA Tour.
Gotterup handled it each with poise to spell with his large strength.
He delivered each the close shots -- the abbreviated birdie putt connected the par-3 12th to physique a two-shot lead, the 10-foot birdie connected the par-5 16th to reconstruct a two-shot pb - and closed with a 4-under 66 to clasp disconnected McIlroy and Marco Penge of England.
The triumph sends him to Royal Portrush for his British Open debut, an extended travel to links play that is starting to suit him.
Time to cancel that flight.
"I mightiness bash it close present successful beforehand of you," Gotterup said, the trophy astatine his broadside that besides sends him to the Masters adjacent twelvemonth for the archetypal time.
He earned those perks. Gotterup, tied with McIlroy to commencement the last round, drove into a bunker and had to marque a nervy 4-footer for bogey connected the opening hole. That was a reminder thing was going to travel easily.
"I decidedly was the villain retired determination today," helium said. "I felt similar I was acceptable and prepared mentally today. And that's benignant of what I've been talking astir implicit the past mates of weeks, that I've benignant of gotten into the premix a small spot and conscionable faded distant a small bit. And today, my extremity was to bent successful determination pugnacious and I felt similar I did that truly well."
He finished astatine 15-under 265 and moves into the apical 50 successful the satellite for the archetypal time.
"Chris played a large circular of golf. He was truthful solid," McIlroy said. "Made the bogey connected 15 but bounced backmost with a truly bully birdie connected 16. After helium got a mates ahead, I conscionable couldn't claw back."
Gotterup was 1 changeable up of McIlroy erstwhile helium deed his tee changeable connected the 196-yard 12th spread to 2 feet for birdie - McIlroy missed from 4 feet - to instrumentality command.
His pb was down to 1 implicit McIlroy and Penge, but McIlroy missed a 12-foot birdie astatine the par-5 16th and Gotterup deed a right-to-left putt from 10 feet successful the bosom of the cupful for a two-shot pb with 2 to play.
Gotterup was truthful affectional erstwhile it was implicit helium could hardly speak, rubbing his eyes earlier saying, "Everyone astatine location ... this is awesome. I'm not going to beryllium capable to support it together."
Next halt is the British Open
Gotterup, built much similar chap New Jersey jock Mike Trout than a golfer, besides won the opposite-field Myrtle Beach Classic past year. The Genesis Scottish Open had 1 of the strongest fields of the year, and the perks are acold greater.
The archetypal halt is the British Open astatine Royal Portrush. Gotterup earned 1 of the 3 last spots done the International Qualifying Series, joined by Nicolai Hojgaard and Matti Schmid.
Hojgaard closed with a 64 to determination up 11 spots into a necktie for 4th to articulation his duplicate member astatine Royal Portrush. Schmid changeable 71 and tied for 17th, helped by Jake Knapp's precocious collapse.
Knapp was tied for the pb done 5 holes, but helium took treble bogey connected the par-3 ninth and the remainder of the backmost 9 didn't spell overmuch better. He closed with a 74, losing connected a accidental to triumph and to play adjacent week astatine Royal Portrush.
Good timing for McIlroy
McIlroy had said helium was playing his champion play since going into the Masters, which helium won successful affectional manner to implicit the vocation Grand Slam. This was the archetypal clip helium had earnestly contended since that Masters victory, bully timing with the Open successful his autochthonal Northern Ireland starting connected Thursday.
But helium couldn't support up with Gotterup, who looked shaky astatine the commencement erstwhile helium drove into a bunker and had to marque a 4-foot bogey putt. He was stone coagulated the remainder of the way.
"I'm truly blessed with wherever my crippled is - the mode I played implicit the weekend, the shots that I hit, however I controlled my shot flight," McIlroy said. "It has been a large week. Missing the trophy, that's astir it."
McIlroy battled to the end, particularly connected No. 11 erstwhile helium had to transportation retired left-handed and inactive managed to prevention par. When it was over, helium said helium was connected his mode to Royal Portrush, which McIlroy had not seen since the Friday of the 2019 British Open erstwhile helium missed the cut.
Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick had a 67 and tied for 4th with Hojgaard, picking up invaluable FedEx Cup points successful what has been a down year.
Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 subordinate coming disconnected a two-week break, had a 67 and tied for eighth. It was his 10th consecutive tourney finishing eighth oregon better, a streak that began successful the Houston Open.
