Chris Gotterup pulled off the biggest win of his career on Sunday with a composed final-round 66 to claim the Scottish Open by two strokes from Rory McIlroy and Englishman Marco Penge.
The 158th-ranked American finished on 15 under par at The Renaissance Club to secure his second PGA Tour victory – and book his place in next week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
“This is awesome,” said Gotterup, who played in the final group alongside McIlroy. “It’s all hitting me. It’s just so cool. I played really well this week, and I knew today was going to be tough. I hung in there like a champ and finished it off in style.”
Despite a nervy bogey at the 1st, Gotterup quickly found his rhythm with birdies at the 3rd, 7th, 8th, 10th and 12th. A dropped shot on the 15th threatened to open the door for McIlroy, but the 24-year-old responded with a clutch birdie on the par-five 16th, while McIlroy could only manage par.
“Hitting it in the bunker on the 1st hole, I’m like, uh-oh, here we go,” Gotterup reflected. “But I held it together really well. Then it was so much fun out there.”
McIlroy, chasing his first win since claiming the Green Jacket in April, closed with a 68 but could not apply enough pressure down the stretch.
“Chris played a great round of golf. He was so solid,” McIlroy said. “After he got a couple ahead, I just couldn’t claw back. It’s been a great week – missing the trophy, that’s about it. There’s no frustration, really. I’m happy with where everything is going into next week.”
Penge’s share of second capped off a career-best result for the 25-year-old Englishman, while Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard and Matt Fitzpatrick tied for fourth at 12 under to also secure Open berths.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler and defending Open champion Xander Schauffele both finished in a tie for eighth on nine under as they sharpened their games in the blustery links conditions ahead of the year’s final Major.
South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout ended the week in a share of 46th on one under par after rounds of 71, 68, 71 and 69.
<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span>Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images
Article Link: Gotterup outguns McIlroy to win Scottish Open