PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Chris Gotterup is heading to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am as a favorite, a status earned after a remarkable start to the 2026 PGA Tour season and a win at the WM Phoenix Open on Sunday that mirrored a feat previously accomplished by Scottie Scheffler.
Gotterup defeated Hideki Matsuyama on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff at TPC Scottsdale, securing his second victory of the year. He previously won the Sony Open, and last year took the Genesis Scottish Open, defeating Rory McIlroy. The win at the Phoenix Open came in his 71st PGA Tour start, a milestone Scheffler likewise reached when he claimed his first tour title at the same tournament in 2022, defeating Patrick Cantlay after three extra holes, according to reports.
The symmetry wasn’t lost on Gotterup, who acknowledged a playful wager he might have made on Scheffler’s performance on Friday of the tournament. “Everyone has seen it out here,” Gotterup said. “If I could bet on golf, I would have put a lot of money on him to arrive out and play good on Friday.” Scheffler ultimately finished tied for third, one shot out of the playoff.
Gotterup’s ascent has been deliberate. He’s been invited to the Masters Tournament in previous years, but declined to attend as a spectator. “I don’t know, I feel like it would ruin my — like one, I don’t really like watching other people play unless I’m not playing that week,” he explained. “It’s just my, I don’t know, I’m kind of weird in that sense. Like I wanted it to be, like it’s the most hyped-up tournament in the sport and I don’t want to go over there and be a spectator. I want to play. I had faith in myself that I was going to be able to do it as a player. Now that I’m going to be able to, it will be much more rewarding stepping on the first tee there rather than being a fan.”
He approaches Augusta National with a familiarity born of study and conversation with golfing legends. “It’s just one of those tournaments where I think — like here is similar in the fact that I could tell you every hole on that course even if I didn’t step foot on it,” Gotterup said. He’s spoken with Freddie Couples, Tiger Woods, and Jason Day about the course, absorbing their insights.
Gotterup’s game, a blend of power and finesse, appears well-suited to the challenges of Augusta National. He’s currently ranked fifth in the world.
