Chris Gotterup’s rapid rise through the world rankings has already seen him reach the top five, and the PGA Tour star has since opened up on what’s changed for him.
Chris Gotterup has broken into the top five of the Official World Golf Rankings after a phenomenal start to his 2026 PGA Tour campaign.
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Gotterup hasn’t just been playing well – he’s looked completely at ease under pressure. He picked up two wins in his first three starts this year, and each time he found himself in contention, he looked right at home.
It wasn’t that long ago that Gotterup was ranked outside the top-200 in golf. Fast forward to now, and there are plenty who believe he’s got what it takes to challenge Scottie Scheffler this year.
Chris Gotterup already has two wins on the PGA Tour in 2026
Photo by Rich Storry/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images
Gotterup has usually been a slow starter in his PGA Tour career, until this season.
He missed eight cuts in his first 12 events last year, with his best finish being a T-16 at the Puerto Rico Open.
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The season before that, he missed five cuts and withdrew from another event, with his top result being a T-35 at the Cognizant Classic.
This year is different. Gotterup has hit the ground running in 2026, and there’s a clear reason behind the change.
He moved from Oklahoma to Florida during the offseason. This allowed him to practice and play all winter without interruption, keeping his game sharp heading into the new year.
Chris Gotterup shares thoughts on his strong start to 2026
Chris Gotterup’s move to Florida appears to have had an immediate impact on his game. The change in climate gave him the opportunity to stay sharp throughout the off-season, something that wasn’t possible during the colder, windier winters in Oklahoma.
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After the first round of the Sony Open in January, he spoke about how beneficial that move had been.
“Yeah, I made a move this offseason down to Florida for hopefully reasons like this,” he said. “Feel like my game is in better shape just because I’ve been putting in more work at home.”
That improvement has already shown itself on the course. His natural swing allows him to shape shots both ways and control ball flight with ease.
This season alone, Gotterup has already collected two PGA Tour wins and there’s every reason to believe more could be on the way soon.
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