Gotterup's Emotional Victory Makes It Three in 2026

Chris Gotterup made up a five-shot deficit Sunday by closing with a 9-under 62 to win the John Deere Classic for his fourth PGA Tour title in the last 12 months. The 26-year-old finished at 20-under par, one stroke clear of Max Homa, to capture his third victory of the 2026 season. His brother, Patrick, caddied for him at TPC Deere Run and Gotterup was in tears on the practice range when he became the winner.

Gotterup next week defends his title in the Scottish Open, where he began his remarkable run to reach the top 10 in the world. He held off Rory McIlroy a year ago in Scotland, and then won the Sony Open and the Phoenix Open this year. He finished at 20-under 264 and moved to No. 7 in the world.

Final Round Drama and Kohles' Heartbreak

Gotterup made up ground quickly with four birdies in five holes at the start. His final birdie was a 15-footer on the 17th that sent him to the practice range to wait to see if it would hold up. The bogey-free 62 was the lowest round of the tournament and put pressure on those still playing.

Max Homa started the back nine six strokes off the lead and inched his way within one thanks to four straight birdies across Nos. 12-15. Homa kept pace with another on the par-5 17th, but it proved that he needed one more for at least a shot at a playoff. He closed with a 64 to finish alone in second at 19 under.

The tournament's defining moment came on the 72nd hole. Ben Kohles birdied the 16th to join Gotterup at 20-under par and missed a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th. Kohles belted his drive on the 18th down the middle, but he got over the shot quickly and tugged it left, bounding off the hill into the water. He missed that to go from a two-tie for second with Max Homa into a three-way tie, a difference of $316,800.

It was a devastating finish for Kohles (68), who two years ago made bogey on the final hole of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and lost in a playoff. The 36-year-old was seeking his first PGA Tour victory in his 120th career start.

Glover, Hodges, and Johnson Round Out Top 10

Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges, who shared the 54-hole lead, started strong but each had to settle for a 69 to tie for third. Both finished at 18 under alongside Kohles. The 46-year-old Glover, who won this event in 2021, held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds before stumbling on Sunday.

Zach Johnson, the 50-year-old former champion who skipped the U.S. Senior Open this week to play in what he considers a hometown event, shot 68 to tie for ninth. The Iowa native finished at 16 under alongside Ryo Hisatsune. Mac Meissner, Doug Ghim, and Jackson Suber tied for sixth at 17 under.

Pool Strategy Takeaways

Gotterup's win reinforces a crucial lesson for golf pool participants: elite ball-strikers excel at birdie-fest venues like TPC Deere Run. The winning score of 20 under came on a course that rewards aggressive play and clean contact. When building lineups for similar scoring environments (Travelers, Puntacana, Sea Island), prioritize players with strong recent form over course history alone.

The final-round carnage also highlights the importance of playoff tiebreakers in prize money pools on golfpools.co. Kohles' double bogey dropped him from a potential two-way tie for second into a three-way tie for third, costing him over $300,000 in earnings. In pools that pay out based on official money, those swings matter. Understanding how tournament purse distributions work gives you an edge when setting pool rules or analyzing potential outcomes.

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