Chris Gotterup continues to build his reputation as a rising star on the PGA Tour, and his recent win at the WM Phoenix Open only adds to the buzz surrounding him. After Gotterup bogeyed the 12th hole on Sunday, a top-10 finish seemed about as much as he could hope for.
Chris Gotterup continues to build his reputation as a rising star on the PGA Tour, and his recent win at the WM Phoenix Open only adds to the buzz surrounding him.
After Gotterup bogeyed the 12th hole on Sunday, a top-10 finish seemed about as much as he could hope for.
But the 26-year-old closed strong, playing the final six holes in five under par to take the clubhouse lead from Scottie Scheffler.
He ultimately reached a playoff against Hideki Matsuyama.
Chris Gotterup is issued with a warning despite his victory at the WM Phoenix Open
Matsuyama had managed to stay in front despite a poor day off the tee, but another wild drive in the playoff cost him any chance of victory.
It means Gotterup is now a two-time winner this season, having already claimed the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.
He has already beaten Rory McIlroy in last year’s Scottish Open and even looked better than Scottie Scheffler during Thursday’s round in Arizona.
Despite that, Gotterup still has areas to improve. Arron Oberholser highlighted one issue about the 26-year-old star when speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast.
“We’re talking about four wins now, so now we’re getting into, okay, now we’ve got to start talking about invitationals and signature events, and contending and competing in those. Obviously, the win at the Scottish Open was a big event, co-sanctioned DP World Tour event with the PGA Tour, but now we’re getting into signature season,” he began by saying.
“Next week it’s Pebble, and then it’s LA, and then it’s Bay Hill, and I really want to see how he performs in those limited field events against truly the best of the best. It will be interesting how he progresses to that level. And then, can he contend at Sawgrass, at a Players Championship? Can he contend at Augusta National?
“I would say as the golf courses get harder and harder, and the level that you have to have becomes finite as far as where you need to land shots, how you need to hit certain shots, that’s where I think if he’s going to be exposed, that’s where I think we’re going to see some exposure where he really needs to work on his game.
“If you’re asking me right now, which you are, I’m going to say his wedge game. He needs to improve his wedge game. And it’s the problem, I’ll get super golfy for a second. He has the most forward shaft lean of anybody I’ve ever seen on the PGA Tour, damn near anybody I’ve ever seen on the PGA Tour. So much forward shaft lean.
“The problem with that much forward shaft lean, especially when you get into the higher lofted clubs is you get inconsistencies with impact and turf interaction. Some balls will slide up the face, some balls will launch off real low and hot, so it’s really hard to control your distance.
“I noticed that a little bit at Sony in Hawaii when I was following him that he did show certain signs of having some issues in that 75 to 125 yard area. If anything going forward, he’s going to have some issues with the wedge play.”
Chris Gotterup’s PGA Tour ranking for approaches within 125 yards
It might be an area Gotterup targets for improvement as the season goes on. Expectations around him are climbing with each event.
He clearly has the talent to compete with anyone, and he is not fazed by big moments. But as his profile grows, small adjustments like this could help him take another step forward.
Right now, Gotterup ranks 55th on the PGA Tour in approach shots from 50 to 125 yards, averaging just under 17 feet from the hole. Last year, he was down at 150th in that category.
It is still early in the year, and most players are finding their rhythm, so it is hard to say if real progress has been made yet.
Still, he is unquestionably a remarkably talented player who is fast establishing himself as one of the elite competitors on the PGA Tour.
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Category: General Sports
