Chris Gotterup finished two under par and tied for 24th place in the 90th Masters Tournament. It was the first time the Little Silver native and Rutgers University graduate participated in one of the most prestigious events in all of sports.
The fourth-year pro made history, becoming the third golfer since World War II to make their Masters debut with at least four PGA TOUR wins. He is also one of three participants to have ties to New Jersey. Max Greyserman, who grew up in Short Hills, also made his debut along with two-time winner Scottie Scheffler, who spent the first six years of his life in Montvale.
“Yeah, it’s cool, I’m happy to be here, and obviously, yeah, four wins is nice, but this is going to be fun,” Gotterup said in a media interview earlier this week. “Just embracing the whole experience and trying to take it all in, enjoy it while also trying to go out there and compete, and yeah, give it everything I got.”
It surely isn’t easy to win The Masters, which only adds to what makes the weekend so special. However, Gotterup was up for the challenge and put up a fight in his Augusta debut. Here is a round-by-round recap of how the 11th-ranked golfer in the world did in his tournament debut:
Round 1
Gotterup held his own on Thursday, finishing the day with an even score. Through the first nine holes, he remained steady and stuck close to par. He had much more action in the back nine, flip-flopping between a birdie and a Bogey each hole. His 72 score was good enough to be tied for 17th after day one.
Round 2
The second round was much different for Gotterup than the first. Right out of the gates, he shot two birdies in the first three holes as he climbed up the ranks. He’d do the same in the final trio of holes, making him good enough for -3 on the day. Worrying about the cut wasn’t even a thought as he cleared it by 28 positions.
Round 3
The charge continued early on moving day. On the second hole, Gotterup scored an eagle on the 585-yard par 5, putting him tied for fourth. It wouldn’t last as he’d give the two-stroke advantage right back, hitting back-to-back bogeys on holes four and five. He’d stay consistent the rest of the way, not going more than a stroke over or under and finishing the day with another even score. The lack of momentum after hitting the eagle cost him, as staying just on par sent him down the leaderboard. Pending a miracle, he was just playing to finish at this point as his -3 had him tied for 21st and eight strokes behind the leaders.
Round 4
Wrapping things up Sunday, Gotterup battled to keep up pretty much through all 18 holes. Only hitting a birdie and two bogeys, he didn’t bring the star power he had all weekend to the final day of The Masters, finishing one over par. When Rory McIlroy hit the final putt to win his second green jacket in a row, Gotterup officially ended with a score of -2, tied for 24th in the tournament.
STATS
EAGLES: 1
BIRDIES: 14
PAR: 43
BOGEY: 14
This was a solid performance for Gotterup, especially in his first Masters tournament. Playing against the best golfers on the planet, he held his own and stayed consistent. While his career is young, you can assume he’ll have more chances to redeem himself at Augusta National in the future.
