GENESIS SCOTTISH OPEN

July 7, 2026

Chris Gotterup

The Renaissance Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Start us off, what are memories of capturing your second PGA TOUR victory.

CHRIS GOTTERUP: It was a funny week. We were talking about it coming in. I had played good coming in but a couple Top 25s in a row and felt good about what I was doing but come out here and the first two rounds you kind of play, they weren't exactly the marquis group and all of a sudden get kind of thrown into the fire in the last round.

Yeah, it was a big day for me and kind of like the second step, it felt like, of my career on tour. Yeah, nothing but good memories coming back and it was nice to get back and feel like I know this place a little bit and not feel like I had no idea what was going on.

So yeah, all good memories, for sure.

CLARE BODEL: Days ago, Sunday, captured your fifth PGA TOUR victory, the John Deere Classic. What's that been like, the outreach, your brother on the bag and coming over here to Scotland?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: We were talking before, it's been funny. I still have a lot of texts to catch up on. Yeah, it was a crazy week. It was a lot of fun having Patrick out there, and obviously Brady was having his kid the week before. So to have him out there was awesome, and he did a great job. To come out with a win was nice for him and me.

And then kind of funny, getting straight back to the house, backing up and getting on a plane to Scotland, I didn't really have time to catch up on all my stuff on my phone.

Yeah, over the next couple weeks when I have some time, I'll get through it all. It's weird, the last couple times -- like every time I've won, I feel like I've been in a rush to get to like my next spot. So hopefully sometime I can win one and have a week off afterwards.

But obviously happy to be here after a win.

Q. I think you used the phrase, "not the marquis group," you don't have to worry about that this year, with Rory and Bob. What does that say about how things have changed the last 12 months?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: Yeah, a lot, it will be fun. There will be a bunch of people out there I would assume. Hopefully I feel a few more fans rooting for me than against me than last time. It will be fun.

Obviously those two are beloved here, and I'm excited for the opportunity. It been nice to kind of get in the mix a little bit with these big groups and just get more comfortable in that scenario. Yeah, I think that's kind of what you want when you are playing out here. You want to be in the big groups, and yeah, I'll be looking forward to that on Thursday.

Q. When you arrived here 12 months ago, you were 158 in the world and this week you are No. 7. You finished third in The Open, as well. How much has your life changed in the last 12 months?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: My personal life has not changed a whole lot. Everything's kind of, you know, still the same. I do the same stuff that I did before and I don't change that much, hopefully.

But golf-wise, it's changed a lot. Having four wins since then is crazy and it's been a lot of FedExCup, and I feel like everyone's asked, what have I done differently and I don't think I've done much differently. If I knew, I would have done it a lot longer ago. I felt like I kept my head down and kept working hard on things that I knew right with the help of my coaches and family and girlfriend, we try to keep things simple and it's worked out. Yeah, hopefully keep improving, too.

Q. The way you played last year in contention for the U.S. Open Ryder Cup Team but you didn't get it much how much was that a disappointment to you and how much motivation do you now have to have to get to Adare Manor in 14 months' time?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: I don't know if it was disappointment. It was more of a learning experience for me. Before this event last year, if you said Ryder Cup in three months, I would be, hey, there's no chance I would play well -- was obviously in the mix. But I needed to continue to play well, and I didn't play well in the Playoffs, well enough to feel like I should have been on the team.

So yeah, I used it more as like, all right, kind of no what it feels like a little bit to have the pressure of like you've got to continue to play well to make the team and I didn't, and I tried to use it for this year. You know, I like to think that I would be valuable on those teams and it's what we all want to do playing. So yeah, hopefully continue to keep up what I'm doing and then be on the team in be '27.

Q. This event here has got an impressive list of winners including Rory McIlroy and Xander, but you and Aaron Rai in particular, the springboard the win has had, is it the stature of the event that's been responsible or a tough golf course that particular week?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: There's a lot of things, at least for me. I can't speak on Aaron. But for me, it was being able to win on a completely different course than I have ever played on. So it's like, all right, I have a game that travels, at least I think so.

You know, obviously last year was coming up against Rory and Scottie and all these guys and coming out on top and thought maybe I might be better than I thought I was beforehand. But thinking you can do it doing it are two different things.

This field is one of the strongest we'll play all year. So to be able to come out on top of that is a confidence boost in and of its own. We play different courses for the majority of the season than, so to have your game travel over here I think just gives you another notch of confidence in that respect.

Q. Rough looks a little bit longer, is that the case?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: It looks greener to me than last year. Obviously last year I think it was very hot, relatively speaking, for compared to last week. But yeah, I think it was firmer last year, and obviously the weather looks pretty good the next couple days.

So if it will get to that point, I don't know but there definitely are there spots whether on purpose or not, I haven't been so -- well, now the back side, but we were trying to hit it in like the left rough over bunker and apparently my caddie said it's a lot thicker than it was.

So maybe that was on purpose, too, I don't know. And they added a couple -- last year, 16th hole, the par 5, they added that bunker down in the right where everyone kind of hit it. So they have done a couple little things here and there to make it a little tougher in that respect.

Q. (No mic.)

CHRIS GOTTERUP: It's a little confusing, I've only been here twice and that's what I new beforehand. I don't think it will change how you play the holes. More the flow is a little different of the course, but at the end of the day, I don't think it changes much other than you've just got to remember what hole you're on. All of our notes are all mixed up, though.

Q. In terms of of the event, everything you've gone on to achieve after the win here and in the future, how much of a special place in your heart will this tournament have for you in terms of your career?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: There's a lot of cool moments that I have from this tournament, and you know, I think any place is -- we're biased to the places that we play well at. I'm obviously biased towards here now, being a champion.

I really do enjoy coming over here. I'm on my fourth week in a row but I was saying to people, I feel like when I come over here it's a fresh start because it's so different from what we are used to.

I really enjoy it. It's a lot of fun walking into town every night and walking North Berwick to the course. It's a fun, different change of pace for us. I've played well here and it makes me feel good coming back here. I just enjoy being here for the week.

Q. Last year you played your first Open, this year your first Masters. Obviously great experiences, I'm sure. But anything that you've learned, obviously completely different tournaments, but anything you've learned about yourself or how to prepare for majors after getting a crack at each one time now?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: I think the Masters is unique in the fact that it's at the same place every year. I think having experience there helps for sure. I tried to get as much info as I could without overdoing it, as well.

I think it's more of like, I've put more focus into, even though I'm playing other events like, all right, I have the U.S. Open leading up in three weeks or the British is leading up, how do I get ready while playing other tournaments, which in the past I feel like I've just been really focused on that one tournament at hand, and not that I'm doing anything like, you know, not changing my swing or anything, I'm just like, all right, I'm going to work on hit something 3-irons because I'm going to need it overseas and I might not even use it. Like last week I didn't use it but on the range I'll hit a couple and try to get a feel of that.

There's nothing I really do that's like, all right, this week is so much different than the rest. It's more of just being prepared and trying to do as much as I can without overdoing it, I think.

Q. Whether it was North Berwick or Portrush, do you recall the first moment, your first time playing links golf, where you hit a shot that made you think, I'm not at Rutgers anymore?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: We did play North Berwick the one day. I'm trying to remember, me and Austin were -- we played here two years ago, and we went out there and it was nice. It was like kind of today, a little windy and we got to the ninth hole and it just started pouring rain and came out of nowhere.

We were not prepared for it, and we were on the 10th tee box and we had a shot -- we were like, all right, now what, we have to walk all the way back to the clubhouse and we might as well just play it in. I think just the conditions everything and, you just have to, the window of shots that we're used to where you're trying to spin it and stop it, everything changes when you're over here. You have to be looking 30 yards short of the green or slopes behind the green where it's a little more point-and-shoot, for the most part, on TOUR compared to over here.

Q. You mentioned four in a row, next week will be five in a row. How is your body feeling right now?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: Pretty good. I didn't sleep much last night on the plane or two nights ago on the plane. I didn't play a whole lot leading up into the U.S. Open. I think I played one out of four weeks leading up into that and was able to drive to those, too. So relatively good, yeah.

Q. Different question. Every time you've won on the PGA TOUR, you've posted a video to Twitter. Feels like a little bit of a celebration for you. Can you explain what that video means and why it's your celebration.

CHRIS GOTTERUP: It doesn't really mean much at all to me. It's more in college, we won a bunch at OU my last year, and I just sent it in the group chat after we won and everyone thought it was funny. I kept it going when I won Myrtle Beach, Tweeted it and thought it was pretty funny. Then I just kept it going ever seasons. I liked Tweeting it. If I can Tweet it a lot, then things are going well.

Q. You said the crowd weren't actually pulling for you last year here but I thought you had a great crowd because we like the fact that you were smiling and you looked quite happy.

CHRIS GOTTERUP: Yeah, I mean, I was happy because I was playing well. I don't think, you know, I definitely think if you asked everyone in the crowd, 99.9 percent would say the guy I was playing with, they were probably rooting for him to win.

Understandably so. If I was from Europe, I probably would be, too. But I was happy to spoil that a little bit.

Q. And how relaxing do you find it coming to Scotland or what is it about Scotland that sort of fires you up for an Open Championship?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: I think a little bit what I touched on before, it's so different from what we are used to. I feel like everyone is on not even playing ground but it's just like a total reset from what we are used to. It's kind of one of those weeks where you throw the TrackMan in the locker room and it's not much use if it's blowing 30 miles an hour.

So I just think it's fun. It's a total different, you know, the shots that we are hitting are very different than what we are accustomed to every week. I just think the style of how you have to play out here, the creativity that is needed to play well, is fun and challenging at the same time. I think it's just a fun challenge.

And then once you leave the course, I just like going into and enjoying -- it's something we don't get very often. It feels almost vacation-ish, even though it's still work.

Q. I don't know if I got an answer to this but what were your options coming out of high school?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: Like college-wise?

Q. You started at Rutgers, but what options did you have?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: I mean, not a ton but self-inflicted in a way. I didn't really enjoy -- like at the time, I didn't see the need to travel and play golf. We went to Texas. I remember I went to Texas with my dad for an AJGA event and I shot a million and was like, my dad just wasted a bunch of money on this. I played horrible and didn't enjoy it.

I was like, I'm going to play the local -- we had such a good Met Section and New Jersey section, we were playing at a major championship course. I was like, if I can play well at those, I can play well, which kept my stuff regional to some degree. I think I wouldn't have gone about it any different knowing what I know now. My options were limited but I was very happy with my option in Rutgers.

Q. Was that the only big tournament?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: I did a couple but that one sticks out to me. For some reason, it wasn't very fulfilling, for I think both of us. My dad would say different but looking back, I'm sure he's happy about it. At the time, it wasn't my -- I didn't enjoy the travel part of -- like I wasn't playing well enough, to, like, see the reward in it at the time.

Q. What made you go to OU? Why not finish at Rutgers?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: There was a lot of reasons. At the time I felt like I needed a change of scenery in the fact that, one, COVID was a whole ordeal. I had hand surgery during COVID. I don't know, we didn't play until fall, like the Big Ten shut down golf in the full.

So I was like, I don't even know if we are going to play in the spring and it was still spotty a little bit. I was like, all these guys in the SEC and Big 12 were playing. I felt like if I was going to play golf professionally, one, I was very comfortable at Rutgers, which was a good thing. From New Jersey, I played there for 20-something years. I needed to be challenged a little bit. Not that Coach didn't challenge me. I just needed to change my whole scenery and make my life a little harder.

Q. Kind of a deeper pool to jump into?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: We travelled all over the country and played golf. I need to be able to play on bermudagrass. I need to play in the wind and play against different teams, and just see where I stack up. That was kind of the whole process in me going there.

Q. All this leading to, four wins in the last 12 months and 5-over all and you are where you are in the World Ranking and all that stuff. Does that feel comfortable to you? Does it feel like you should be and have you ever felt like you had to go prove yourself?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: I think my whole career has been proving myself to myself and to -- to really care to prove myself to like other people. I just think I know what I'm capable of and these last couple months/years have been rewarding, but also once you kind of get a taste of it, I think you want more and more.

You know, I just continue to try to be -- like we were saying with the marquee groups and stuff, just be more comfortable in them, and it's been nice to have more of those. I'm going to continue to try and just keep putting my best stuff out there. The more I'm in that situation, the better things are going.

Q. Have you ever felt over your skis? That's kind of a Jersey term, isn't it?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: I don't know about over my skis but definitely been moments where I'm like, wow, this is kind of crazy. But at the end of the day, you kind of take that. It's there and you either stand up to it or -- I think that's why this tournament last year was so big to me. I played in groups and played well and kind of faded away on the weekends but without that experience, I don't think I would have been able to stand up on the tee on Sunday and play well.

So I think you take some, you win some and you lose some, and you try to use the losses for win later down the road. You don't have any option other than to stand up there and go, you know guys are going to go play well and just do it.

Q. Tired of talking?

CHRIS GOTTERUP: I can go all day. I've got nothing to do.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, everyone.