Chris Gotterup wins John Deere
Classic with a 62 and late help from Ben Kohles
[July 06, 2026]
SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — 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.
Gotterup avoided a playoff when Ben Kohles, trying to win for the
first time in his 120th start, hit his approach to the 18th left and
into the water and wound up with a double bogey.
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.
This might have been as enjoyable as the others. His brother,
Patrick, caddied for him at the TPC Deere Run and Gotterup was in
tears on the practice range when he became the winner.
Gotterup received a sponsor exemption to the John Deere Classic in
2022, after he finished his college career at Oklahoma. He remained
loyal to the tournament, even playing despite having a title to
defend across the Atlantic and the British Open the following week.
“I really like this tournament. They've been super nice to me,”
Gotterup said. “To have Patrick out here with me ... it's just so
awesome.”
He finished at 20-under 264 and moved to No. 7 in the world.
It was a devastating finish for Kohles (68), who two years ago made
bogey on the final hole of the Byron Nelson and lost in a playoff.
He 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 was able to take a penalty drop by the green, then caught a big
break when his stance was on a sprinkler head, allowing him to drop
on the fringe and use putter. But the par putt to force extra holes
was wide right the entire way, settling just inside 3 feet away.
He missed that to go from a two-tie for second with Max Homa into a
three-way tie was a difference of $316,800.
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Kohles said he was between 8-iron and 9-iron on the
shot from the 18th fairway.
“Thought if I hit a full 8, it could have a chance of going over,”
Kohles said. “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. Tough way to finish, especially how I played all day.”
Homa ran off four straight birdies on the back nine
and closed with a 64 to finish alone in second, which moved him to
No. 49 in the FedEx Cup, a huge step for a former Ryder Cup player
who missed the postseason a year ago and had fallen out of the top
100 in the world.
It was his highest PGA Tour finish in more than three years.
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.
Gotterup made up ground quickly with four birdies in five holes at
the start, the only par coming when he failed to convert an
up-and-down from just off the green at the par-5 second.
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 victory was
his third of the year, the most individual titles of any player.
Matt Fitzpatrick has three wins, including the team event in New
Orleans.
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.
Blades Brown, the 19-year-old who turned pro while still in high
school, closed with a 68 and tied for 12th as he tries to work his
way toward a PGA Tour card. Another shot back was NCAA champion
Preston Stout, who shot 69 and tied for 15th.
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