Kevin Kisner has heaped praise on Chris Gotterup after his victory at the John Deere Classic, revealing that he is one of the few elite players on the PGA Tour who does not have a large entourage at events.
Gotterup has had a truly phenomenal year on the PGA Tour. The 26-year-old won the season opener at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and swiftly followed that by beating Hideki Matsuyama in a playoff to win the WM Phoenix Open.
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He went into the final round of the John Deere Classic five shots back of the lead this past week. However, Gotterup was able to make a stunning charge as he posted a 62 on Sunday to reach 20 under par.
Kevin Kisner shares what impresses him about Chris Gotterup
It has been a remarkable 12 months for Chris Gotterup, with his win at the Scottish Open in 2025 launching him as a household name.
While he was ultimately snubbed for Bethpage, he was a prominent figure in the discussion over the players Keegan Bradley could pick for the Ryder Cup.
And it seems that Kevin Kisner is one of those who is not at all surprised to see Gotterup prove to be so successful.
Speaking on the Fore Play Podcast, Kisner explained what he finds so impressive about Gotterup’s attitude.
“I think it’s super athletic the way he moves. Huge turn, big straightening of the right leg, getting his hips, max turn in the backswing. I love that he half puts his glove on every time. He never latches his glove,” he said.
“This is the kid that grew up playing the muni in New Jersey, and he just beat people’s brains in his whole life, and now he’s out here playing that swing.
“And one of the things I noticed about Gotterup is he doesn’t have the big posse that these top 20 players in the world have following him around, like the swing coaches and the mental coach and the putting coach and the chipping coach. That’s why there’s 400 people in every fairway in a practice round because all these guys have so many guys helping them.
“He just kind of does his own thing. He gets out there, grinds it in the dirt. If he’s not hitting it great, he just figures it out on the range, and that’s what I love about him. I think that’s what has staying power on the PGA Tour.”
Chris Gotterup’s statistics show why his third win this season was very much on the cards
Gotterup’s victory at TPC Deere Run should have really come as no surprise whatsoever.
His recent results had not been hugely impressive, with just one top 10 in his previous eight events. However, his statistics tell a different story.
According to Data Golf, Gotterup has lost strokes to the field off the tee at just one event this season. That was the Memorial Tournament where he lost a grand total of 0.05 shots per round.
Meanwhile, he has also gained strokes putting in his last 12 starts, with the run beginning back at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
That meant that Gotterup was actually able to lose shots with his approach play across the week in Illinois and still win the event.
Given that he is returning to a course this week that has plenty of happy memories, it should not shock anyone if Gotterup puts himself in the mix at the Scottish Open.
And perhaps there is a reasonable chance of a first major victory before 2026 concludes.
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