By Rich Chrampanis
MEDINAH, Ill. – Chris Gotterup was one of three Presidents Cup rookies on the United States roster but the Little Silver native and Christian Brothers Academy graduate played like a savvy veteran to achieve another rarified-air benchmark in his already amazing golf career.
Gotterup finished 3-1-0 in his debut, tying Cameron Young and Scottie Scheffler for the most points on the U.S. side. The Americans beat the International Team 17-13 for an 11th straight Cup after trailing 10.5-7.5 heading into Sunday singles, the first time the Internationals had led on foreign soil at that point in the event’s history.
Gotterup was paired with Patrick Cantlay in the opening fourball session Thursday, Sept. 24 and lost 3 and 2 to Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim. He didn’t play Friday, when the Internationals swept the foursomes session 5-0.
Saturday: A Tri-State Area Pairing
Captain Brandt Snedeker put Gotterup with Cameron Young for both Saturday sessions, and the duo picked up a pair of wins and a critical two full points for the U.S. side.
“I feel comfortable when I’m playing with him,” Gotterup said of his pairing with Young. “If you’ve seen him hit the ball, it makes you feel pretty good if you’re his partner. Last night we talked as a team that we just needed to get off to a good start and then get the crowd into it early and I felt like we did a good job of that all day for both sessions.”
Gotterup and Young won the first four holes against Nick Taylor and Corey Conners in the morning fourball. When the match tightened on the back nine, Gotterup sank a 34-foot putt on 15 to put the American duo 3-up and closed the match with a birdie on 17 to secure a 2-and-1 win and the U.S.’s first full point of the day.
“You know, I’ve seen him do a lot of crazy stuff with the golf ball,” Young said. “It’s fun to watch and he’s very, very talented. So it’s, you know, it’s one of those (places) where I’m just looking forward to watching good golf and knowing that I don’t have to hit all the shots.”
In the afternoon foursomes, they beat Adam Scott and Sungjae Im 6 and 4, winning five of the first seven holes and making the turn in a sizzling 6-under 30.
Gotterup and Young clearly meshed and have a similar background and style. Young grew up in Westchester County, New York, and both played in the Metropolitan Section of the PGA of America as juniors.
“It’s fun to watch,” Young said. “I mean, we played a fourball match the other day at home and he beat all of us on his own ball. So anytime you got someone with that kind of, you know, that gear to go like that, it’s exciting.”
The pairing of Gotterup and Young helped the United States get within striking distance after getting swept Friday. Golf fans across social media reveled in the possibility of the duo teaming up again next year for the U.S. in the Ryder Cup.
“Yeah, they played great,” Snedeker said. “It was kind of a pairing we had circled early on in this process of kind of putting those two guys together in alternate shot. They went out there today and played fantastic. They really played good. I can’t thank those guys enough for what they gave.”
Sunday: Singles Debut and a
Third Point
Sent out sixth against Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Gotterup took control with birdies on two and five, then went 3-up with another on six. Bezuidenhout fought back, and Gotterup missed a par putt on 17, cutting his lead to one hole. In the end, the local product never relinquished the lead.
On the final hole, he 2-putted for par and a 1-up win. The point helped pull the Americans within one of the championship, and Jacob Bridgeman sealed it minutes later.
“I knew coming into today every point is important,” Gotterup said. “Definitely went a little longer and a little more stressful than I would have liked, but Christiaan played a great match, and a point is a point.”
Gotterup had three wins on the PGA Tour and over $10 million in earnings this year. Shortly after his putt Sunday to help the United States complete its improbable comeback, he said playing for his country and debuting in international competition was better than all the individual accomplishments of a special year on the PGA Tour.
“Not even close. This is by far and away the most nervous, most fun, pressure-packed environment that I’ve ever been a part of,” Gotterup said. “I didn’t feel like I had my best stuff this week and getting thrown into this with not your ‘A’ game is stressful, but I felt like I handled it really well.”
The article originally appeared in the October 1 – 7, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
