Chris Gotterup wins John Deere Classic with a 62 and late help from Kohles

SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Chris Gotterup made up a five-shot deficit Sunday by closing with a 9-under 62 to win the John Deere Classic for his fourth PGA Tour title in the last 12 months.

Gotterup avoided a playoff when Ben Kohles, trying to win for the first time in his 120th start, hit his approach to the 18th left and into the water and wound up with a double bogey.

Gotterup next week defends his title in the Scottish Open, where he began his remarkable run to reach the top 10 in the world. He held off Rory McIlroy a year ago in Scotland, and then won the Sony Open and the Phoenix Open this year.

This might have been as enjoyable as the others. His brother, Patrick, caddied for him at the TPC Deere Run and Gotterup was in tears on the practice range when he became the winner.

Gotterup received a sponsor exemption to the John Deere Classic in 2022, after he finished his college career at Oklahoma. He remained loyal to the tournament, even playing despite having a title to defend across the Atlantic and the British Open the following week.

“I really like this tournament. They’ve been super nice to me,” Gotterup said. “To have Patrick out here with me … it’s just so awesome.”

He finished at 20-under 264 and moved to No. 7 in the world.

It was a devastating finish for Kohles (68), who two years ago made bogey on the final hole of the Byron Nelson and lost in a playoff.

He birdied the 16th to join Gotterup at 20-under par and missed a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th. Kohles belted his drive on the 18th down the middle, but he got over the shot quickly and tugged it left, bounding off the hill into the water.

He was able to take a penalty drop by the green, then caught a big break when his stance was on a sprinkler head, allowing him to drop on the fringe and use putter. But the par putt to force extra holes was wide right the entire way, settling just inside three feet away.

He missed that to go from a two-way tie for second with Max Homa into a three-way tie which was a difference of $316,800.

Kohles said he was between 8-iron and 9-iron on the shot from the 18th fairway.

“Thought if I hit a full 8, it could have a chance of going over,” Kohles said. “So I was just trying to hit kind of a three-quarter punch shot. Yeah, just tugged it a little, and obviously ended up in the water. Tough way to finish, especially how I played all day.”

Homa ran off four straight birdies on the back nine and closed with a 64 to finish alone in second, which moved him to No. 49 in the FedEx Cup, a huge step for a former Ryder Cup player who missed the post-season a year ago and had fallen out of the top 100 in the world.

It was his highest PGA Tour finish in more than three years.

Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges, who shared the 54-hole lead, started strong but each had to settle for a 69 to tie for third.

Mackenzie Hughes of Hamilton, Ont., finished in a five-way tie for 46th at 9 under, while A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., finished at 3 under and in a three-way tie for 71st.

Gotterup made up ground quickly with four birdies in five holes at the start, the only par coming when he failed to convert an up-and-down from just off the green at the par-5 second.

His final birdie was a 15-footer on the 17th that sent him to the practice range to wait to see if it would hold up. The victory was his third of the year, the most individual titles of any player. Matt Fitzpatrick has three wins, including the team event in New Orleans.

Zach Johnson, the 50-year-old former champion who skipped the U.S. Senior Open this week to play in what he considers a hometown event, shot 68 to tie for ninth.

Blades Brown, the 19-year-old who turned pro while still in high school, closed with a 68 and tied for 12th as he tries to work his way toward a PGA Tour card. Another shot back was NCAA champion Preston Stout, who shot 69 and tied for 15th.

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The Associated Press