Chris Gotterup was drawn alongside Rory McIlroy in the opening two rounds of the Scottish Open and expressed his excitement over Robert McIntyre finishing in the same group.
Gotterup is preparing to return to the venue where he won at Renaissance Club 12 months ago and helped establish him as a household name on the PGA Tour.
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Of course, what made Gotterup’s victory even more special was the fact that he was forced into a head-to-head fight with McIlroy in the final round in North Berwick.
Chris Gottapp reacts to Scottish Open draw with Rory McIlroy and Robert McIntyre
Many would have expected the Northern Irishman to win. One of the most iconic shots of the last decade of his career helped him win the 2023 Scottish Open.
But Gottharp was unfazed by the challenge and proved he has the potential to win one of the game’s biggest prizes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, organizers once again paired Gotterup with McIlroy for the first two rounds this week. And to make things even more interesting, local favorite McIntyre joins them.
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And Gotterup suggested he was happy with his group as they prepared to defend their title.
Photo by Andrew Reddington/Getty Images
“Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of fun. There’s going to be a lot of people. Hopefully, I feel like I’ll have a little more support for me than the fans that were against me than last time. It’s going to be fun,” he said.
“Obviously those two guys are loved here and are excited about this opportunity. It’s nice to be a little bit more part of this big group and get more comfortable in that scenario. Yeah, I think that’s what you want when you play here. You want to be in a big group and yeah, I’m looking forward to that on Thursday.”
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“Yeah, the fun thing about playing well is that the group gets bigger and better. And it’s always fun when you get people to come watch you play. It makes you want to perform better. I feel like I’m probably a little more focused than when no one’s watching. So, yeah, it’s fun. It’s exciting. Yeah, I’m excited.”
Chris Gotterup reflects on his progress since last year’s win in Scotland
Gottap is rapidly emerging. More casual golf fans probably didn’t know all that much about him when he showed up in Scotland.
Since that win, he has finished in the top three at the British Open Championship and won three times on the PGA Tour, including last week’s John Deere Classic.
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It seems inevitable that he will make his Presidents Cup debut later this year, but his current trajectory also includes a Ryder Cup bow at Adare Manor.
And he is now being asked about how much his life has changed since winning the Scottish Open.
“My personal life hasn’t changed much. Everything is the same. I’m doing the same thing as before and I hope not much has changed,” he said.
“But golf-wise, a lot has changed. It’s crazy that I’ve won four games since then, and I had a lot of fun at the FedExCup. I feel like everyone is asking me how I do things, but I don’t think the way I do things has changed much.”
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“If I had known, I would have done it earlier. I felt like with the help of my coaches and my family and my girlfriend, I kept my head down and continued to work hard on what I knew right. We tried to keep things simple and it worked out. Well, hopefully I’ll continue to improve as well.”
It’s hard to imagine Gottharp continuing to rise at his current pace over the next year. But it seems certain that it’s only a matter of time before he wins one of the four majors.
