By RICH FISHER
Contributing Editor
As 2017 graduate of Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, Chris Gotterup continued to make the golf world sit up and take notice July 17-20, his former high school coach calmly sat back and smiled.
“I just enjoyed it,” said Tim Sewnig, who coached the Colts from 1994-2024. “I’m retired; I don’t get nervous.”
“What was I pulling for today?” he said on July 20, shortly after Gotterup finished third in The Open. “I’m hoping he finishes second outright, but I’m not even sure why. I don’t know that he needs the money. He won a mill(ion) last week.”
Indeed, the previous weekend Gotterup had the biggest win of his life when he outdueled Rory McIlroy to win the Scottish Open. That gave him a load of confidence heading into The Open at Northern Ireland’s Royal Portrush Golf Club.
The Little Silver native told NBC Sports he had no expectations going into the tournament and he shot a respectable one-over after day one. Considering it was just his fourth major, and that his best finish in any of them was 23rd at this past June’s U.S. Open, shooting around par probably wouldn’t seem too bad.
And then he took off.
Gotterup fired rounds of 6-under, 3-under and 4-under (on his 26th birthday) to finish 12-under overall. He ended five strokes behind the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler, and one behind Harris English.
His world ranking shot from 49 to 27, giving Chris a chance to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs and the Tour Championship, and possibly make the Ryder Cup team.
“At some point, I would have hoped to be in a position like this, but I don’t know if I would have expected it to come this soon,” Gotterup told The New York Post’s Mark Cannizzaro. “It’s really just been a whirlwind two weeks. I feel like my belief levels are improved. I’ve been surprised with how comfortable I’ve been in these scenarios, and that’s a nice feeling to know that I can step up to the plate and deliver when needed.”
In his 30 years of coaching golf, Sewnig saw a lot of great ones come through CBA. But being able to predict PGA stardom was not part of the deal.
“You could tell that Chris had a great golf game,” he said. “I had a lot of guys who had great golf games and a lot of guys who tried to make it on the pro tour. The difference between high school and college, and college and pro, is a giant leap.
“It’s just so hard to imagine what those pros can do. Watching Chris bomb one off the tee is just enough to humble anyone.”
Gotterup bombed away on The Open’s final day, hitting fairways consistently to set himself up for numerous birdie (and eagle) opportunities.
“A lot of it is the same as when he was in high school,” said Sewnig, who still texts Chris with congratulations after strong performances. “He was always in control, always strong off the tee, but always a smart golfer.
“I think he’s gotten a little more creative. He had a shot on 10 where he let it run up the back ramp and come back down to the hole (to save par); that’s just smart golf.”
It was Gotterup’s second straight standout performance on a links course, which is unique in that they are typically found on sandy, dune-covered land and are known for firm, fast conditions, firm fairways and deep bunkers.
Asked if Gotterup’s game is tailored for links play, Sewnig said, “I’ve never seen him play on a links course until last weekend. I don’t think he’s got a whole heck of a lot of experience, but it certainly seems his game is cut out for links.”
It sure does.
After being saddled with four bogeys in the first round, Gotterup suffered a total of just four on the final three days. He had three eagles and 14 pars.
After Gotterup’s 1-over first round, Sewnig was not surprised to see him go on a tear.
“He’s a smart player, he learns as he goes,” he said. “It helped that in our first state finals with him; we were on the same course we had been on the year before. When we were talking about the course on the bus trip in, we said, ‘Let him take over and do a lot of the talking.’ He does have a great memory for a golf course.”
CBA won the championship in the 2017 season and Gotterup finished tied for second in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions with a 71. He was playing at Rutgers the following year when the Colts repeated as state champs.
“Before we were off the course he was calling everybody and congratulating them,” Sewnig said. “I got on the phone and said, ‘Chris this is above and beyond.’ He’s been that kind of guy. He’s a great kid, a great friend to have and a great leader.”
In looking how Gotterup has evolved as a player, Sewnig feels his five years of college golf – culminating with the Haskins Award as the country’s top golfer – helped polish the CBA alum.
“I think he learned a lot in college about handling a tournament,” Sewnig said. “In high school we played one 18-hole tournament, and you had to be on your game that day. I think he learned a whole heck in college just how to play a multi-round tournament, which is a whole different beast.”
Gotterup is back at it this weekend, playing the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn. He will look to build on his past two weekends in the quest for a coveted Ryder Cup spot.
“That could be fun, huh,” Sewnig said with a chuckle.