[Photo: Andy Lyons]
It’s not often the winner of the John Deere Classic is one of the post-a-number-and-see-what-happens variety. Chris Gotterup, however, finished an hour ahead of the leaders, put up a final-round 62 and walked away with the win when Ben Kohles (tied with Gotterup) failed to birdie the par-5 17th hole, then rinsed his approach at the last.
Watching and waiting rarely works at the Deere, where birdies are as plentiful as the summer heat. But to say Gotterup backed into his third win of the year would be to shortchange an impressive final 18.
Gotterup produced nine birdies over the final 18, but it was a stellar par save at 15 that kept the round going. Avoiding bogeys was key, as Gotterup made just three for the week.
Off the tee, Gotterup’s game was working. He ranked first in strokes gained/off the tee, picking up 5.415 shots on the field while averaging 312.3 yards per tee shot with his 7.5-degree Ping G440 LST driver with a HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 shaft.
Around the greens, he used his TaylorMade Milled Grind 5 wedges to rank fifth in scrambling, converting 15 of 18 opportunities.
The Deere is a fantastic event but falls at a difficult point in the schedule, often leading to many top players to pass. However, the tournament has a history of giving young players a chance. Four years ago, Gotterup was one of those players and he has returned the favour.
“I wanted to play,” he said. “I felt like this stretch last year kind of kick-started my whole year. Obviously. I got off to a great start, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t need reps or just need to take time off.
No time off led to a win that took some time to materialise.
The clubs Chris Gotterup used to win the 2026 John Deere Classic:
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X
Driver: Ping G440 LST (HZRDUS Smoke Black 70), 7.5 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade BRNR Mini, 13.5 degrees
7-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D, 21 degrees
Irons (4-9): Bridgestone Tour B 220MB
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 5 (46, 52, 56, 60 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X X1
