Gotterup was two shots behind when he took advantage of a collapse from 54-hole leader Davis Riley and then turned it on with a mix of power and the back nine of the airy Waialae Country Club to prevent everyone else from catching him.
Gotterup, who finished at 16 under 264, moves up to number 17 in the world. He was ranked No. 195 in the world when he left the Sony Open a year ago.
“I felt like I was in a good state of mind this week, just happy to be here,” Gotterup said. “I felt like I had control of my brain, which is the most important thing. I drove it great and made some putts when it mattered.”
Ryan Gerard birdied his last two holes for a 65 and finished alone in second. He flew to Mauritius late last year and finished second, reaching the top 50 and securing a place in his first Masters. Now he is just outside the top thirty.
Patrick Rodgers got another shot at his first PGA Tour victory, but he went without a birdie on the back nine until the final hole. He closed with a 65 and finished third.
Gotterup won the Scottish Open last year by beating Rory McIlroy, and he won the Myrtle Beach Classic on the opposite court in his rookie season.
Riley started with a two-shot lead and stayed two ahead with a pair of birdies through the first five holes. And then it all fell apart quickly: three-putt bogeys from long range on the sixth and seventh, and a wild tee shot into the trees that led to a double bogey on the eighth.
That stretch lasted from two shots ahead to three shots behind, and Riley never caught up.
Gotterup had a host of players chasing him, but not for long. Even on an old-fashioned Waialae course with doglegs framed by royal palms, he teed away early on the back nine with tee shots of more than 330 yards. But it was his putter that ultimately made the difference.
Gotterup holed a 20-foot hole on No. 12 and then holed an 80-foot putt on the 13th, the toughest hole on the course. He almost succeeded with a tee shot that landed perfectly between the pin and the bunker on the par-3 17th for a final birdie.
The Sony Open was the final start of the PGA Tour season as The Sentry at Kapalua on Maui was canceled due to a water dispute that left the course brown in September.
The final round in Waialae was played with the atmosphere that this might be Hawaii’s last round on the tour. The Sony Open title sponsorship is set to expire this year, and there is a move to start the tour season later than ever in 2027 and continue right before or after the Super Bowl.
#Chris #Gotterup #opens #PGA #Tour #season #winning #Sony #Open #title #year #row