Weekly Fantasy Golf Recap: Giddy up, Gotterup

It was six months ago when the chants for Chris Gotterup to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team blew up on golf's social media. He had just won the Scottish Open over Rory McIlroy, then finished third at the Open Championship and 10th at the 3M Open.

It's doubtful captain Keegan Bradley gave too much consideration to a young, inexperienced player who happened to be on a heater, especially after Gotterup came back to earth in the FedExCup Playoffs.

But what about the Presidents Cup in nine months? Captain Brandt Snedeker may want to shake things up after another failed Ryder Cup with the good ol' boys network, Gotterup also will have another year of experience by then – and he will have at least one more win on his resume.

The 26-year-old tore apart Waialae Country Club on Sunday to the tune of a 6-under 64 that carried him to victory at what may be the final Sony Open in Hawaii, by two strokes over another emerging American, Ryan Gerard. Davis Riley held a three-stroke lead on the front nine but faded to a tie for sixth.

"Yeah, having a win or two under your belt always helps, coming down the stretch knowing that you've done it and that you're able to execute under pressure," Gotterup said. "I felt like I did a great job of that today.

"... A lot of these tournaments you just kind of got to hang around as long as you can and hang in the fight. I felt like I did a great job of that this week.

"Then when I got momentum I kept it and I didn't squander it at any point today."

Gotterup entered the Scottish Open last July ranked No. 158 in the world. Now, the Rutgers alum has entered the top 20 at No. 17, ahead of many of those 2025 Ryder Cuppers, among them Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns. He won a tournament for the third straight season, after taking the alternate-field Myrtle Beach Classic in 2024.

This latest win in theory qualifies him for next year's season-open Sentry, if that tournament still exists. And then he would defend his Sony title – again, in theory. But with the PGA Tour bent on getting out of the way of football – how good could the Sony ratings have been opposite the thrilling Rams-Bears game? – and starting the season after the Super Bowl, the two Hawaii tournaments have been rumored as good places to start cutting back. We should have an answer in a few months, before Gotterup could be making the U.S. Presidents Cup team at Medinah.

Gotterup is one of the longest hitters on Tour – seventh in driving distance last year. But he was wildly inaccurate (ranked 154th) and also ranked outside the top-100 in both Strokes Gained: Approach and Putting. It's a bit of a marvel he did as well as he did last season, making it all the way to East Lake.

At Waialae, where hitting the fairway is more important than most PGA Tour tracks, Gotterup ranked 27th in the field in driving accuracy. His approach play was still dicey (ranked 48th), but he putted great (ranked seventh).

Presidents Cup captain Snedeker surely took notice of Gotterup's performance. Of course, Gotterup may take any decision out of his captain's hands. He's now eighth in the point standings and the top six are automatic selections.

Nobody in Hawaii asked Gotterup about the Presidents or Ryder Cup. But that buildup on social media is bound to happen sooner rather than later.

MONDAY BACKSPIN

Ryan Gerard
Gerard made news late in December when he traveled to South Africa in a last-gasp attempt to get into the top-50 in the world before year's end -- to qualify for the Masters. He finished runner-up at the Mauritius Open to do it, and now he has been second in two consecutive starts. He's up to 30th in the world and, even though it's early, he also could be in the mix for the Presidents Cup.

Patrick Rodgers
Rodgers didn't win last year – again – but he quietly had a good season, reaching two playoff events and finishing 62nd in the point standings. And now he's off to a great start in 2026 with a solo third. Rodgers is still looking for his first career win. He came close last season and again on Sunday.

Robert MacIntyre
MacIntyre closed with a 7-under 63 to tie for fourth, four shots back. He had a meltdown on Friday, which he said cost him the tournament. He snapped his putter in anger on 17, then missed a three-footer on 18. That doesn't sound like it cost him the tournament, but he acknowledged he needs to better control his emotions. Still, MacIntyre moved up one spot to No. 6 OWGR, flip-flopping with J.J. Spaun (T40 at the Sony).

Jacob Bridgeman
Bridgeman is another young American on the rise. He hasn't won yet, but he had five top-10s last year and qualified for the Tour Championship, meaning he'll be in every 2026 signature event. At the Sony, he snared his first top-10 of the season by tying MacIntyre for fourth. Bridgeman showed improvement with his irons by finishing in the top-20 in SG: Approach for the week.

Davis Riley
Riley birdied two of the first five holes to grab a three-stroke lead. He then went bogey-bogey-double and added another bogey two holes later. He wound up in a five-way tie for sixth. He obviously is not happy with what went down, but if you offered him a T6 at the beginning of the week, he probably would've grabbed it.

Harry Hall
Hall had a great 2025 with five top-10s, 15 top-25s and a trip to the Tour Championship. So he'll be in all the signature events this season. He tied for sixth at the Sony, showing no signs this season will be any worse.

Jake Knapp
This was Knapp's first start since the playoffs in August. A month later, his girlfriend Makena White passed away at age 28. Knapp took the rest of the year off. Not to sound callous, but a tie for 11th after all that time away from the game constitutes a very positive week.

Hideki Matsuyama
The cancellation of the Sentry cost Matsuyama a chance to defend his title. That was his last top-10 – more than one year ago. He came close at the Sony with a tie for 13th. (Matsuyama also won the Hero World Challenge so if you want to include that as a top-10, go ahead.)

Dan Brown
Brown was the top finisher among the 10 DP World Tour players who earned dual membership this season. He tied for 19th. (Not all 10 were in the field.)

Jordan Spieth
In his first Tour start since the playoffs, after which he underwent wrist surgery, Spieth snuck into the top-25 with a T24. He also played in the Hero World Challenge early last month.

Kensei Hirata
Hirata is one the 20 Korn Ferry Tour grads. He tied for 24th. He also had a top-25 last year at the Sony in his only PGA Tour start of 2025. So the 25-year-old Japanese player is either really good, or he's really good at Waialae. We shall see.

Sahith Theegala
After reaching the Tour Championship in 2024, Theegala had a disastrous, injury-filled 2025. He finished 146th in the point standings. At the Sony, he tied for 31st, offering hope for a far better 2026.

Vijay Singh
Singh is a month shy of turning 63 and he decided he wanted to play another season on the PGA Tour. And so he is, thanks to a career earnings exemption. He not only made the Sony cut, a huge feat on its own, Singh tied for 40th. Who knows if he can keep it up. But for one at least, it's a great story.

MISSED CUTS

Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau, Chris Kirk, Emiliano Grillo, Luke Clanton. This was Bradley's first start since the Ryder Cup (other than the Hero World Challenge). It's fair to wonder where his head is at, even months later, after that Ryder Cup loss hit him hard. … Morikawa and Finau had awful 2025s, and they did nothing to suggest 2026 will be better. … Clanton really has fallen very far and very fast, after taking the golf world by storm in 2024.

DP WORLD TOUR

Rory McIlroy was in the field. So were Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry. But it was someone with the actual name of Nacho Elvira who won the year-opening Dubai Invitational. Daniel Hillier was runner-up, with McIlroy and Lowry among those tying for third. Fleetwood finished 25th. This was the third DP win for the 38-year-old Elvira.

LATIN AMERICA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Mateo Pulcini of Argentina, who had never been inside the top 150 in the world amateur rankings, won the LAAC in Lima, Peru to qualify for the Masters and both Opens. At 25, the former Oklahoma Christian golfer became the oldest winner of the 12-year-old LAAC.

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