Chris Gotterup could be the answer to a golf trivia question.
The question: “Who was the winner of the final Sony Open in Hawaii?”
With Sony’s sponsorship deal expiring, there’s speculation that 2026 will be the 60-year-old tournament’s finale.
If so, Gotterup snatched his third PGA Tour victory by two strokes over Ryan Gerard, finishing at 16 under par at Waialae Country Club with a final-round 6-under 64.
“I just felt like this week I was in a good frame of mind,” he said. “Really was just happy to be here and felt like I was just in control of my brain, which is the most important thing.”
Gotterup, a 26-year-old New Jersey native, is establishing himself as one of the game’s breakout stars. Last year, he won the Genesis Scottish Open, besting Rory McIlroy, and finished solo third at the British Open en route to making the Tour Championship.
The world’s 28th-ranked player entered the final round two strokes back of Davis Riley’s lead. Riley, however, faltered Sunday with a 2-over final round to finish T9. Gotterup jumped out of the gate with birdies on Nos. 2 and 3. Despite a bogey on No. 3, he shot 3 under on the front and seized control of the tournament with two more birdies on Nos. 12 and 13.
"Can't get through this part every time."
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 19, 2026
An emotional victory for Chris Gotterup 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Y4v8177i1Q
At that point, it seemed like a foregone conclusion. Gotterup had played holes 15 through 18 at 5 under par through the first three rounds. The rest of the course? Also, 5 under, but with a total of 14 holes.
Trouble appeared when the former University of Oklahoma and Rutgers golfer hit his approach on the par-5 15th in the greenside bunker. However, he knocked his out to 2 feet. Then, he sealed the deal with a birdie on the par-3 17th, plopping his tee shot to 11 feet.
Ironically, Gotterup, one of the game’s longer hitters (he was seventh on Tour in 2025, averaging 316 yards), won on the Tour’s third shortest course (7,044 yards). Yes, he was first in the field in strokes-gained off the tee, but was also fifth around the green, seventh in putting and first in strokes-gained total. Not to mention, he hit every fairway on the back nine Sunday and had three drives over 335 yards.
“I think we talked about this at the beginning of the week,” he said. “This reminds me of home a little bit. It’s just the way the holes work … I was in great control of my game and Brady [Stockton, Gotterup’s caddie] kept my head screwed on straight.”
Gerard, meanwhile, rides momentum from his breakout 2025, which included a win at the Barracuda Championship. And now, the 26-year-old is expected to crack the top 40 in the world rankings.
But Gotterup was the one holding the winner’s trophy as the first champion of the season—and perhaps the last in Sony Open history.
“You couldn’t dream up a better start,” he said.
More Golf from Sports Illustrated
- 2026 PGA Tour Schedule: Complete Dates, Winners, Purses
- Improbable Break in Latin America Amateur Gets Argentinian Into Three Majors
- 2026 American Express Full Field: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler Makes Season Debut
- Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry Fumble Dubai Invitational Win with Final-Hole Misfortunes
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chris Gotterup Becomes First PGA Tour Winner of 2026 in Possibly Last Sony Open.
