Chris Gotterup fired a final-round 62 to win the 2026 John Deere Classic, beating Max Homa by one as Ben Kohles melted down late.
Chris Gotterup kicked down the door to the 2026 John Deere Classic.
The 26-year-old delivered the round of the week Sunday at TPC Deere Run, ripping off a 9-under 62 to charge from five shots back and steal his third PGA Tour victory of the season.
Gotterup finished at 20 under, one shot clear of Max Homa, and added another loud statement to what’s quickly becoming one of the most dangerous resumes on Tour.
That’s three wins in 2026, tying Matt Fitzpatrick for the most on the PGA Tour this season. It’s also Gotterup’s fifth career PGA Tour title, and over the last year, he’s now won four times, the same number as Scottie Scheffler.
That's not bad company to be in.
This one had a little extra bite, too. Gotterup won with his brother on the bag while his regular caddie was away for the birth of a child.
He also did it at the same event that helped launch his PGA Tour rise in 2022, when a sponsor exemption turned into his first top-five finish.
Sunday started with Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges sharing the 54-hole lead, but Gotterup wasted no time turning the final round into a street fight.
He went out in 5 under, kept the card clean and kept stacking birdies until the rest of the leaderboard started feeling the heat.
The dagger came at No. 17, where Gotterup buried a 15-footer to reach 20 under. Then he waited.
Homa nearly forced the issue. After beginning the back nine six shots off the pace, he caught fire with four straight birdies from Nos. 12-15 and added another at the par-5 17th.
But he couldn’t find one more at the last, settling for second at 19 under.
Ben Kohles had the tournament in front of him and watched it vanish into the water. Tied with Gotterup on the 72nd hole, Kohles pulled his approach into the drink, made double bogey and dropped into a tie for third at 18 under.
It was a brutal finish after a strong week, especially after he opened Sunday with an eagle on No. 2 and looked in control for much of the afternoon.
Elsewhere, amateur Preston Stout made a serious impression.
The NCAA individual champion finished tied for 15th at 14 under and is expected to become the top-ranked amateur in the world.
Jordan Spieth, meanwhile, stumbled to a tie for 58th at 7 under after another week defined by big numbers and missed chances.
Jackson Koivun’s first professional start ended with a missed cut, snapping his streak of five straight top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour.
But the week belonged to Gotterup. He came from behind, fired the tournament’s best round, won with family on the bag and now heads to the Scottish Open as the defending champion and No. 6 player in the FedEx Cup standings.
The PGA Tour has another problem on its hands. Chris Gotterup is no longer coming. He’s arrived.
