Sports
Monmouth County Golfer Wins WM Phoenix Open
Chris Gotterup, who grew up playing in Little Silver, was crowned the 2026 WM Phoenix Open Champion on Sunday. See details:
LITTLE SILVER, NJ — A Monmouth County golfer has won the WM Phoenix Open.
Chris Gotterup, who grew up in Little Silver and is an alum of Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, won the tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Sunday.
Billed as “the people’s open” on their website, the Phoenix Open began in 1932 and has gone by multiple names over the years, including the Western Open, the Arizona Open and more.
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On Sunday, Gotterup outlasted two-time winner Hideki Matsuyama in extra holes to be crowned the 2026 WM Phoenix Open Champion. He sank a birdie putt on the first playoff hole to win the title.
“I knew I needed to make birdie on 18, but you never know,” Gotterup said in a post-tournament interview. “Hideki was playing great, and 17 is birdie-able, but there’s also some danger out there.”
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“I just figured I’d stay loose,” he continued. “I didn’t think this would happen, especially after Friday and Saturday, but here we are.”
Since taking home the title of 2026 WM Phoenix Open Champion, Gotterup has been met with plenty of love back home in New Jersey, including celebratory posts from Monmouth County:
While the WM Phoenix Open is Gotterup’s most recent victory, it’s also far from his first.
In July 2025, Gotterup reigned supreme after winning the Genesis Scottish Open in North Berwick, before he went on to take home a third-place prize at the British Open Championship in Northern Ireland.
A Little Silver resident and Rutgers University alum, Gotterup also comes from a family of athletes, according to his PGA Tour bio.
His father, Morten, has five NJ State Golf Association victories, while his younger sister, Anna, attends the U.S. Naval Academy and competes on the women’s lacrosse team.
Though Gotterup has made his name as a golfer, he also played lacrosse for 12 years, according to his bio, and his favorite sports teams are the NY Knicks and NJ Devils.
"There's just so many people that believe in me" Gotterup said in an emotional post-tournament interview. "And to be able to share it with them...it's just so much fun."
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