That’s not one, not two, but now three victories for Chris Gotterup in 2026 as the 26-year-old hunted down the leaders Sunday at the John Deere Classic for his third title of the season, tying Matt Fitzpatrick for most on the PGA Tour in that span. Gotterup did so by not only coming up clutch but posting the lowest round of the tournament, a 9-under 62 to finish 20 under, good enough for a one-stroke victory over Max Homa.
Ben Kohles arrived at the 72nd hole tied with Gotterup at 20 under before disaster struck on his approach shot. Finding the water with his second, Kohles was unable to save par and ultimately dropped a pair on the 72nd hole to fall into a tie for third place.
“I was kind of a little in between,” Kohles said. “I hit an 8-iron and thought 9 was going to be too short, and thought, ‘If I hit a full 8, it could have a chance of going over.’ So I was just trying to hit kind of a three-quarter punch shot. Yeah, just tugged it a little, and obviously ended up in the water.”
For Gotterup, the victory at the John Deere Classic is particularly sweet. With his regular caddie sidelined due to the birth of a new child, the Oklahoma product called upon his brother to lug around the sticks at TPC Deere Run. Gotterup also picked up a win at the same tournament that gave him a sponsor exemption back in 2022, leading to Gotterup’s first top-five finish on the PGA Tour.
Gotterup now has five career PGA Tour victories, and over the last year, he is tied with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler as each has picked up four wins in that span. Gotterup will now go on to defend his title at the Scottish Open, which begins on Thursday, ranked No. 6 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Starting the day five strokes off the 54-hole pace set by Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges, Gotterup started hot. Even though he failed to take advantage of the par-5 2nd, he made his intentions clear by playing his front nine in 5 under. Three more birdies came flying onto his scorecard by the time he reached the 15th hole, where a par may have been the lift that ultimately pushed him past the rest.
Able to avoid a square on his scorecard, Gotterup kept on going and penciled in one last birdie from 15 feet on No. 17 to reach the ultimate winning score of 20 under.
From there, he waited with his brother on the driving range, remaining warm for a potential playoff with pursuers on the golf course. Homa missed his opportunity to tie on the last just before Kohles sent his second to a watery grave. Gotterup’s name was left all by itself on top of the leaderboard as he embraced his brother and his fifth PGA Tour title. Grade: A+
Here are the rest of the notable names on the leaderboard at the 2026 John Deere Classic.
2. Max Homa (-19): He 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 looked a lot more like the man who has claimed six PGA Tour titles throughout his career — the swing was in a better position, and the mentals looked the same. He’s always been dangerous when he’s at ease in between the ears, and if that continues, these quality results should, too.
“Proud to stay patient and not force it,” Homa said. “Yesterday, my caddie, John, said I forced a few putts. Speed wasn’t as good today. I just let them go. Yeah, it was fun, but the game just feels good, so you feel like every hole you’re a swing away from making a birdie, so that’s nice.” Grade: A
T3. Ben Kohles (-18): An eagle on the par-5 2nd announced his arrival as Kohles turned in 5 under and with a two-stroke lead in his back pocket. Already a winner on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, he looked well within himself until he did not. The swing got a tick faster, the pace on the greens got slightly off, and as such, he was caught from behind. Five times a winner on the Korn Ferry Tour and currently in line to earn his PGA Tour card through that circuit later this season, Kohles saw another one fall through his grasp. He is also up to No. 100 in the FedEx Cup standings. Grade: A-
T15. Preston Stout (a) (-14): Stout is set to become the top-ranked amateur when the standings refresh this week, but first, he had to secure his first weekend tee times on the PGA Tour. In his fourth career start on Tour, Stout looked, well, stout. The NCAA individual champion changed his mindset, and the results followed suit. He looked well beyond his years from tee to green throughout the entire week, but ultimately, he was unable to hole enough putts to keep pace with the pack. Grade: A-
T58. Jordan Spieth (-7): If there was a week that summed up Spieth’s season, it was this one. The three-time major champion had at least one six on the scorecard in the first two rounds and then put a pair of sevens on the scorecard in Rounds 3 and 4. The big numbers added up fast, aiding in the inconsistency that has handcuffed his ability to find the top 10 since last summer’s Memorial. If there was a positive to pick out amid a week where his lowest round was just 2 under, Spieth rolled the rock much more effectively than at the Travelers Championship. Grade: D
MC. Jackson Koivun: The first professional start did not go the way many expected as Koivun’s week was cut short with a missed cut. Still, the former phenom from Auburn got some valuable experience under his belt in a tournament where he was paired with Spieth and Ben Griffin. Koivun’s streak of five straight top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour comes to an end, no thanks to eight bogeys across 36 holes and three strokes bled to the field on the greens alone. He’s in the field next week at the ISCO Championship, where he can put that short memory to the test.
“I was just off today,” Koivun said Thursday. “At the end of the day, not every round you play is going to be perfect. Like I said, it’s kind of unfortunate I was off today, but there’s no reason I can’t go out there and play good tomorrow.” Grade: F