Following the 26-year-old’s outstanding start to the 2026 PGA Tour season, Brooks Koepka has highly commended Chris Gotterup.
Ask fans at the start of the year who would come out of the West Coast Swing with a pair of wins, and Chris Gotterup’s name would not have been anywhere near the top of the list.
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But after picking up victories at both the Sony Open in Hawaii and the WM Phoenix Open, the four-time PGA Tour winner quickly started drawing comparisons to Koepka himself.
And that is a comparison that does not seem to faze Koepka one bit.
Brooks Koepka applauds Chris Gotterup after his impressive start to the PGA Tour season
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Koepka is set to return this week at the Cognizant Classic, and before teeing off, he was asked which young players on the PGA Tour have impressed him so far this season.
He said: “Chris, pretty good, considering he’s won twice. I haven’t played with him. I’ve obviously watched him hit balls and seen his results, and I think that’s pretty good.
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“But I would say that’s a name that probably sticks out right now. Another Nike guy. Everybody has been talking about him for a while, so it’s good to see.”
Why Chris Gotterup still has room for growth despite his two wins
Consistency is likely to be the next step Gotterup focuses on in his development.
He seems to have all the attributes needed to become a top player on tour, and Johnson Wagner even predicted that the 26-year-old could soon be in the mix at a major.
This season, he is averaging 322 yards off the tee and ranks fourth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee.
Despite this, Gotterup did miss the cut at the Genesis Invitational and has not managed to shoot under 70 in his last five rounds after a strong start at Pebble Beach.
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The Maryland native had a slow start to 2025 but turned things around after his win at the Scottish Open.
He does not need anyone to tell him there is still work to do. Even so, Koepka’s comments make it clear that few young players have as much potential as Gotterup right now.
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