Chris Gotterup Dominates at the Scottish Open
The biggest difficulty for Chris Gotterup was waking up on Friday. Once he got going, the golfer didn’t stop until he matched the course record with an impressive 61, nine under par, securing a two-stroke lead heading into the weekend at the Scottish Open. Gotterup demonstrated his skill with three long putts and exhibited his power off the tee, taking advantage of a sunny and low-wind day at The Renaissance Club. Harry Hall, with a card of 64 strokes, was two strokes away. Ludvig Åberg, who signed 65 strokes, led a group that was three strokes behind the leader. Åberg, after a necessary break in Sweden, where he visited his friends and enjoyed his mother’s cooking, managed to recover from a bogey-bogey start with eight birdies in the next 15 holes. This made him the only player among the top five who played in the afternoon, when the wind increased in the Firth of Forth and the course became firm and bouncy, frustrating Scottie Scheffler and other competitors. Scheffler, the world number one, had two three-putts and, after seeing a putt veer off course, simulated a thumbs-up celebration. Despite this, he achieved a 68 and was six strokes behind the leader. Gotterup, a former Rutgers star who finished his final season at Oklahoma, was at 11-under par, with a total of 129 strokes. Rory McIlroy accumulated five birdies in the second round and completed a round of 65 strokes, joining the group of 7 under par. Xander Schauffele, who will defend his title at the Open Championship next week, was five strokes behind the leader after a round of 66. Schauffele, known for his calmness, was surprised by his score of 66. The weather conditions were ideal, with a clear sky and a light breeze.Gotterup did just that. Despite dealing with jet lag and a 5:15 a.m. alarm, he managed a 45-foot birdie on the second hole. Then, he chained together a few more birdies and a 30-foot putt on the tricky seventh hole. He closed out the first round with a 29 after a birdie from 20 feet. Three more birdies in the following five holes brought him to 9 under par. Two additional birdies, one on a par 5, would have allowed him to break the 60-stroke barrier.I was about to take it.
Xander Schauffele
Gotterup, in addition to leading the tournament, seeks to secure one of the three available spots for the Open Championship. Although he would like to stay an extra week, he already has a flight scheduled to California to participate in the PGA Tour event in Lake Tahoe. The golfer enjoys competing in Scotland, even for a week, as he did last year. In addition, the forecast was ideal throughout the week, which generated great anticipation among the fans. Tickets for Saturday are already sold out and those for Sunday are selling quickly.That didn’t cross my mind.
Chris Gotterup
Gotterup won the Myrtle Beach Classic last year, an opposite-field event. His athletic playing style comes from his 12 years playing lacrosse in his childhood in New Jersey. The golfer is not familiar with shinty, the favorite sport of defending champion Robert MacIntyre. However, from Gotterup’s appearance, it would seem that he would fit in perfectly. MacIntyre was pleased to reach the weekend. The wind blew strongly in the afternoon and the sun dried the greens, making good results difficult to achieve. The cut was set at 1 under par, with 139 strokes. MacIntyre managed a late birdie, and Justin Thomas made a 6-foot birdie on the 18th hole to make the cut.There are probably no better places to be.
Chris Gotterup
