By Rich Chrampanis
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – Super Bowl LX was minutes away from kickoff in California but Little Silver’s Chris Gotterup was providing quite a pregame show at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Arizona. Gotterup drained a 27-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to top 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama for his fourth overall PGA Tour win and second victory in the young 2026 PGA Tour season.
“Yeah, can’t feel a thing and just trying to make sure I didn’t bomb it by the hole and get it down there and put some pressure on Hideki, and for it to find the hole like that is really awesome,” Gotterup said. “I’ve seen countless putts on this 18th hole in playoffs or normal events go in, and to be added to that is pretty cool.”
In Gotterup’s first three PGA Tour victories, he played the back nine with leads and never relinquished the top of the leaderboard. On Super Bowl Sunday, the Christian Brothers Academy graduate began the final round four shots off the lead before his 7-under-par 64 put him in the clubhouse at 16-under-par
On the 18th hole, Gotterup sprayed his drive right and landed in the rough near the grandstands. From 131 yards out, he hit a brilliant shot that nestled less than 3 feet from the hole. The tap-in birdie made it five birdies over the last six holes for an electric round.
“I went in with a chance for sure to start the day,” Gotterup said. “Today I really wasn’t expecting to be – I would have had to go shoot a really good round, which I did, but even during the back nine, I was like, all right, just keep climbing the board, try to get into a good spot. I knew I needed to birdie 18, and I had some, let’s say, maybe a little luck involved in that shot, but to come out on top and do it the way I did in the playoff was awesome.”
Matsuyama had a one-shot lead with two holes to play. The first Japanese major winner nearly found the water and had to settle for par on the 17th. On 18, needing a par for the win, Matsuyama found the bunkers on the left side; after hitting the top of the bunker, he bogeyed the hole, setting the stage for the playoff.
Gotterup played the waiting game as Matsuyama and Mike Thorbjornsen finished the final holes. Nearly an hour after his birdie putt on 18, he watched Matsuyama bogey the final hole, setting the stage for a two-man showdown on the final hole once again. CBS cameras showed Gotterup warming up on the first tee with his caddie Brady Stockton.
“We walked off, and I knew – I think I was one back of Hideki and Mike at that point. I was like, all right, we’ll see what happens. I didn’t really know what – you never know what to expect,” Gotterup said. “(I) just wanted to stay loose, watched the finish, and hoped that I had a chance to come out on top. We went over to the first tee, hit a couple balls, (I) was watching, and then all of a sudden you’re out there on 18 and everyone is going nuts, and you’re like, all right, this is it.”
The sudden death playoff was contested on the 18th, where Gotterup bombed a drive over the right-side bunkers 335-yards away and safely onto the fairway just 90 yards from the hole. Matsuyama found danger, pulling his drive left and landing in the water. Following a drop, Matsuyama was on the green inside 20 feet, needing a long putt for par. Gotterup’s birdie putt sealed the win and sent one of the rowdiest crowds in golf into euphoria.
“I mean, we saw it going a little right to left, and obviously it’s all downgrain and bright yellow, and you’re just trying to get it down there and put some pressure on Hideki, and for it to go in like that is really amazing,” Gotterup said. “At that point, it’s hard to feel anything, and you’re just trying to make sure you do something right and get it, wish it down the hole. For it to go like that was really awesome.”
Gotterup was the first-round leader after shooting a sizzling 63. He was paired with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and three-time major champion Jordan Spieth in the first two rounds. Following rounds of 71 and 70 in rounds two and three, he capped off Sunday’s birdie binge on the back nine with the lasting image of winning a tournament with a long birdie.
“I wish it was easier Friday and Saturday. I just couldn’t get in a rhythm,” he said.
“It gets tough out here in the afternoon. One, it gets really firm, hard to get it in the good spot, and then two, you obviously are playing behind everyone, so it’s a challenge in itself. I hit a couple loose putts and obviously wasn’t comfortable with what I was doing,” Gotterup said. “I just wanted to come out here today and at least feel like I was confident in what I was doing, and I hit a couple putts last night. I didn’t change anything. I just was maybe more intentional with what I was doing. I don’t know. If I knew, I would have hopefully not have done that Friday and Saturday.”
Just a few weeks ago, Chris Gotterup was considered an up-and-comer on the world golf scene. That script has already been changed. Gotterup has vaulted to fifth in the latest official world golf rankings and is the leader in the FedEx Cup. He’s in the field for this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and will play in every PGA Tour signature event as well as all four majors in 2026.
“I’m just really enjoying being out here right now, and I’m having fun,” Gotterup said. “I feel confident in what I’m doing and feel like I have played well enough to feel confident to be able to be in those positions. So far, I’ve been able to capitalize on those, and I’m excited for the rest of the year. I’ve got a bunch of tournaments coming up that I haven’t played in some cool spots. Really just looking forward to what’s to come.”
The article originally appeared in the February 12 – 18, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
