PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The initial occasion Chris Gotterup played at Pebble Beach Golf Links was a reward from his father for achieving par for the first time.
At 13 years old, he recorded a 2-under 69 at Rumson Country Club in New Jersey, and a visit to the renowned course on the Monterey Peninsula with his father and brother was his reward.
On Thursday, Gotterup, now 26, will begin his round as one of the frontrunners in the 80-player professional field at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, marking the first signature event of the PGA Tour season.
After securing his second win in three outings this season by overcoming Hideki Matsuyama on the first playoff hole at last week’s WM Phoenix Open, Gotterup is currently ranked fifth in the world. He is the second highest-ranked American, trailing only world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
With four victories over the last four seasons, Gotterup has outperformed all other golfers on tour, except for Scheffler and reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy. He has triumphed three times in his last 10 starts dating back to last year.
“I’m just trying to keep my head on straight and not get too over my skis,” Gotterup stated.
How rapid has Gotterup’s ascent been over the past two seasons? Last year, he did not qualify for the Pebble Beach field, ranked 206th in the world.
Scheffler, who has 20 career victories on tour, including four major championships, stood behind Gotterup in the lunch line at Pebble Beach earlier this week.
“I’m just going to eat what you’re eating,” Scheffler joked.
“He’s doing pretty good on his own, so I’m not too worried about him,” Gotterup remarked, who also claimed victory at the season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii by two strokes on January 18.
Gotterup’s skill was apparent during his sole season at Oklahoma in 2021-22. He achieved a scoring average of 69.8 over 13 events, winning both the East Lake Cup and Puerto Rico Classic. He was recognized as a consensus All-American and received the Fred Haskins (Division I) and Jack Nicklaus (across divisions) awards, which honor the top collegiate golfer in the nation.
Gotterup spent his first four years at Rutgers, where he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2019-20.
Despite finishing his college career at Oklahoma, Gotterup takes pride in his Northeast origins.
Keegan Bradley, who played at St. John’s, mentioned that he often felt like an outsider during the early stages of his PGA Tour career. Bradley now has company with Gotterup and fellow New Jersey natives Max Greyserman, John Pak, and Ryan McCormick competing on tour.
Gotterup has felt quite at home in his first three seasons.
“I don’t know if it’s a chip on my shoulder in a sense, but it’s something that I take pride in,” Gotterup expressed. “I think it’s a place that has a lot of pride in everything. I know for sure that when I go home, many people I don’t know care about what I’m doing because they share the same town or area, or we played the same course where we grew up.”
Gotterup attributes his turnaround to consistency. He won the opposite-field Myrtle Beach Classic in May 2024 but then missed the cut in five of his next seven starts, finishing 61st or worse in the other two.
Last season, Gotterup was not present for the weekend in seven of his first 10 starts. He rebounded to play exceptional golf during the summer, winning the Scottish Open and finishing solo third at The Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland.
Gotterup qualified for all three FedEx Cup playoff events and tied for 10th at the Tour Championship.
“I think now I’m much more prepared to play well week in and week out, where in the past I was explosive one week and then I would miss four cuts in a row,” Gotterup noted. “It’s now much more of even when it doesn’t feel great, I’m in better control of what’s going on when it’s not [my] A-game.”
Gotterup has certainly maintained control of his game this season. He ranks second in strokes gained: total (2.846) and off the tee (1.111). He is fifth in driving distance with an average of 327.9 yards.
There will be significantly more at stake when he competes at Pebble Beach this week. He played the course again during his only season at Oklahoma, finishing second in the 2021 Carmel Cup, which was hosted by Dallas car dealer Fin Ewing III.
In April, Gotterup will make his debut at the Masters. He has visited Augusta, Georgia, for sponsor events during previous Masters weeks but chose not to attend the tournament as a spectator. He wanted to experience the Augusta National Golf Club course for the first time as a competitor.
“I didn’t want to go on property until I played for real,” Gotterup stated. “This time, I’ll happily go over.”
Gotterup intends to play a practice round there in March.
“I could tell you every hole on that course even if I didn’t step foot on it,” he remarked.
