Some might view the Genesis Scottish Open as nothing more than a tune-up for the Open Championship, the final major of the 2025 schedule, but don’t tell that to Chris Gotterup.

Gotterup, a relatively no-name golfer on the PGA Tour, was able to claim victory in dramatic fashion this past weekend in Scotland. He didn’t just hold on to win, but he did so by outlasting a loaded leaderboard, including playing alongside Rory McIlroy in the final round.

The victory sends Gotterup to Royal Portrush for his British Open debut, an extended trip to links golf that is starting to suit him. He had a flight scheduled to return to the United States after the Scottish Open.

Time to cancel that flight.

“I might do it right now in front of you,” Gotterup said, the trophy at his side that also sends him to the Masters next year for the first time.

When it came to him playing alongside McIlroy, he was also battling with some other top European players in what was a jam-packed leaderboard on Sunday. Playing in Scotland, he knew he wasn’t the fan favorite, and he was okay with that.

“I definitely was the villain out there today,” he said. “I felt like I was ready and prepared mentally today. And that’s kind of what I’ve been talking about over the last couple of weeks, that I’ve kind of gotten into the mix a little bit and just faded away a little bit. And today, my goal was to hang in there tough and I felt like I did that really well.”

Hang in there he did, and it got the attention of McIlroy, who got an up-close-and-personal view of Gotterup claiming a two shot victory.

“Chris played a great round of golf. He was so solid,” McIlroy said. “Made the bogey on 15 but bounced back with a really nice birdie on 16. After he got a couple ahead, I just couldn’t claw back.”

Gotterup was one shot ahead of McIlroy when he hit his tee shot on the 196-yard 12th hole to 2 feet for birdie — McIlroy missed from 4 feet — to take command.

Gotterup, who is built more like fellow New Jersey athlete Mike Trout than a golfer, also won the opposite-field Myrtle Beach Classic last year. The Genesis Scottish Open had one of the strongest fields of the year, and the perks are far greater.

The first stop is the British Open at Royal Portrush, as he earned one of the three final spots through the International Qualifying Series, joined by Nicolai Hojgaard and Matti Schmid.

However, don’t be shocked when it is McIlroy, not Gotterup, who is considered a favorite at Royal Portrush this weekend at the Open Championship. McIlroy once shot a 61 at Portrush as an amateur, and is widely considered one of Rory’s “home courses”. McIlroy’s finish wasn’t disappointing to him, considering how he has been striking the ball.

“I’m really happy with where my game is — the way I played over the weekend, the shots that I hit, how I controlled my ball flight,” McIlroy said. “It has been a great week. Missing the trophy, that’s about it.”

McIlroy, and Gotterup after his victory, will continue with the links style golf for at least another week as they head into the final mens major of the season for the 2025 Open Championship.

Notable Finishes

Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick had a 67 and tied for fourth with Hojgaard, picking up valuable FedEx Cup points in what has been a down year.

Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player coming off a two-week break, had a 67 and tied for eighth. It was his 10th consecutive tournament finishing eighth or better, a streak that began in the Houston Open.

Jeff Hartman is the host of the Fairways & Dreams podcast, and the latest podcast which talks about links style golf courses compared to others, can be heard in the player below.