Gotterup leads Phoenix Open as Scheffler struggles

Stimpmeter · February 6, 2026, 6:45am

Chris Gotterup is off to another hot start in his bid to claim a second PGA Tour title of 2026 at the Phoenix Open.

A frustrated world No 1 Scottie Scheffler finished the opening round 10 shots off the pace, while the leading South Africans were Christo Lamprecht, tied 13th on three under par, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who was lying 56th on even par.

Gotterup, winner of last month’s Sony Open in Hawaii, rode a red-hot putter to an eight-under-par 63 that featured an eagle and six birdies.

Starting on the 10th at TPC Scottsdale, Gotterup kickstarted his round with a 27-foot eagle putt from off the green at the par-five 13th. He added birdies at the 14th, 15th and 16th before rolling in a 24-footer at the 18th.

After picking up a stroke at the par-four 3rd, Gotterup capped his round with a final 27-foot birdie putt at the 7th.

Firing out the gate

With one win under his belt in 2026, @ChrisGotterup is on the hunt for another early @WMPhoenixOpen. pic.twitter.com/XPsdrvF7iO

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 5, 2026

“I feel like I’m doing things well and thinking through things well, and I think that’s the most important thing,” said Gotterup. “I wouldn’t say I drove it my best today. I putted great, but I was in the right spot when I needed to be.”

The 26-year-old American played alongside Scheffler, who cut a visibly frustrated figure during a two-over-par 73 that left his streak of 65 consecutive made cuts in jeopardy.

Scheffler opened with a birdie before finding water off the tee at the 11th en route to a bogey. A birdie at the 13th was followed by another dropped shot at the 14th after pulling his tee shot.

The two-time Phoenix Open champion, who won his first start of 2026 at La Quinta last month, steadied briefly with birdies at the 15th and 17th. But a botched chip at the 18th rolled back to his feet and drew a frustrated reaction.

ALSO: Scheffler happy to have Koepka back

A three-putt bogey at the 1st was followed by a double-bogey at the 2nd, where Scheffler failed to recover from a poor lie in a fairway bunker. He clawed back a shot at the 3rd but carded another bogey at the 8th after another misjudged chip.

After his first over-par round since June, Scheffler headed straight for the practice range.

Gotterup held a two-shot lead over England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick, whose “scrappy” start did not prevent him from posting a six-under-par 65.

Fitzpatrick opened with back-to-back birdies at the 10th and 11th and reeled off five consecutive birdies from the 13th to the 17th. He reached eight under with a birdie at the 3rd before closing with back-to-back bogeys.

“It’s disappointing,” Fitzpatrick said of the finish. “If you start bogey-bogey and finish six under, you’d feel like the greatest player in the world. You’ve got to try and reframe it.”

Fitzpatrick was one shot clear of a group of four players sharing third place on five under.

Five-time Major champion Brooks Koepka, playing his second tournament since returning to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf, endured a tough day, carding five bogeys and one birdie in a four-over-par 75.

– AFP

Photo: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

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