Chris Gotterup

Chris Gotterup finished third at The 153rd Open having only qualified the previous week.

The American, whose 26th birthday coincided with the final round at Royal Portrush, finished on 12-under-par after an impressive performance - which included a second round 65 - in County Antrim.

Seven days prior he sensationally won the Genesis Scottish Open to earn his place in the field, securing his Open debut and fourth major appearance.

Arriving at the Genesis Scottish Open ranked 158th in the world, his nine-under-par 61 which equalled The Renaissance Club course record catapulted him into the halfway lead. With a round to go he was sharing top spot with Rory McIlroy and he out-scored the Masters champion to take home the prize.

After initially attending Rutgers University in New Jersey he transferred to the University of Oklahoma for his final year and at the end of it was presented with the Haskins Award and Jack Nicklaus Award given annually to the outstanding Division 1 collegiate player. Ludvig Aberg won both the following season and previous recipients include Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Gotterup earned promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023 and had to wait only until May 2024 for his maiden PGA Tour victory – by six strokes at the Myrtle Beach Classic.