​Max Homa has lavished praise on Chris Gotterup after the young golfer posted a 62 on Sunday to win the John Deere Classic, claiming his third PGA Tour title of the season. Gotterup headed into Sunday with little expectation of triumph at TPC Deere Run, starting five shots behind the leader. Yet he delivered the round of the week to reach 20 under par for the tournament and apply pressure on Homa and Ben Kohles.
Homa’s reaction to Gotterup beating him to the crown was mixed; he couldn’t convert the birdie he needed on the final hole to tie for the lead. Kohles, meanwhile, found water on the 72nd hole and failed to hole a par putt, sealing Gotterup’s third win of the year. It’s been nearly a year since Gotterup elevated his career by winning the Scottish Open and finishing third at The Open Championship.
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images. Although Homa admitted some frustration at not catching Gotterup, he insisted he was genuinely happy for him. “I had a real chance to catch him. He just played better,” he said. “He’s a phenomenal golfer. I tip my cap, though that’s not exactly how I felt out there. It was nice, honestly, to see him go out and post a number and get moving because my goal starting Saturday was to reach 20, and he hit that mark quicker than I expected. That was encouraging.”
“Yeah, he’s obviously a phenomenal golfer. I got to play with him yesterday. He’s also the nicest guy. I’m very happy with the way he played. I had my chances. I just needed to be a little sharper.” Homa celebrated a second top-10 finish on the PGA Tour this season. With Gotterup already having two wins this year, the result carried extra significance for Homa, who is likely to rise inside the top 50 of the FedEx Cup standings from his 72nd start. That improvement could be a major boost as he eyes the playoff run later in the year. Homa’s only prior top-10 of the season had come at The Masters, so his Illinois performance was especially satisfying.
“Yeah, it’s great. This crowd is incredible. They’re incredibly kind, and it’s fun. I love the course,” he said. “I never really found success at a place where you have to go deep to win or contend. Maybe this is the spot where I figured it out. I usually avoid courses where the scores are 20-under, but this course suits my game well. I feel I’ve read the greens here well, which is a bonus.” Homa will hope to follow Gotterup’s example from last year and use this result as a springboard to bigger things.