Key Takeaways
- A wild week of golf was capped off by Grace Kim winning the Amundi Evian Championship while Chris Gotterup took home the grand prize at The Scottish Open.
- Kim became just the fifth Australian ever to win a Major Championship with her epic victory.
- In the latest instalment of “The Starter”, RG's Brendon Elliott breaks down all the action.
Chris Gotterup celebrates winning (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
In this week's “The Starter,” PGA professional Brendon Elliott, a three-decade industry veteran, breaks down Grace Kim’s major win, Chris Gotterup winning in Scotland, and William Mouw’s epic final round 61.
Professional golf served up a weekend that had everything: playoff eagles, major championship heartbreak, and breakthrough victories nobody saw coming. While Grace Kim scripted a fairytale finish in the French Alps, Chris Gotterup outdueled Rory McIlroy on the Scottish coast, proving golf's most compelling stories come from unexpected places.
LPGA Tour: Kim's Major Moment Arrives in Dramatic Fashion
Grace Kim needed something special on the 72nd hole at the Amundi Evian Championship, and she delivered a career-defining shot. Sitting at 12-under and needing an eagle to force a playoff with Jeeno Thitikul, Kim crushed a 4-hybrid to just one foot from the pin, setting up a tap-in eagle that forced extra holes with the world's second-ranked player.
What followed was playoff golf at its most dramatic. On the first extra hole, Kim's aggressive approach found water, seemingly handing Thitikul her first major championship. But Kim took her drop, pitched her fourth shot, and watched in disbelief as the ball disappeared into the cup for the most unlikely of birdies.
Thitikul answered with ice-cold precision, chipping close and burying her birdie putt to extend the playoff. The second playoff hole saw Kim execute the shot she'd been trying to hit in regulation, finding the green in two and leaving herself roughly 20 feet for eagle. Thitikul's approach went long, leaving her in an awkward stance on the downslope of a greenside bunker. Adding insult to injury, ants had swarmed her ball.
Despite the bizarre circumstances, Thitikul chipped to about six feet. But Kim, who had to wait while officials sorted out the ant situation, remained remarkably composed. With her caddie Drew Ernst reading the line, she struck her eagle putt with complete confidence, the ball finding the center of the cup.
The victory made Kim the fifth Australian to win a major championship and marked the first time two different Australians had won major championships in a single season on both tours, following Minjee Lee's triumph at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
PGA TOUR: Gotterup's Scottish Surprise Stuns McIlroy
While Kim celebrated in France, an even bigger surprise unfolded on the windswept links of North Berwick. Chris Gotterup, a 25-year-old from New Jersey with just one previous PGA Tour victory, was about to announce himself by outplaying one of the game's superstars.
The Genesis Scottish Open had all the makings of a Rory McIlroy coronation. The Masters champion was playing for the first time since taking a break to rediscover his motivation, and he'd looked increasingly sharp throughout the week. A victory would have been the perfect tune-up for The Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
But Gotterup had other plans. Despite a shaky start that saw him drive into a bunker and make bogey on the opening hole, the former Rutgers standout showed the mental fortitude that separates tour winners from everyone else. He steadied himself immediately and began picking apart the challenging Scottish links.
The turning point came on the par-3 12th hole, where Gotterup's tee shot settled just two feet from the pin. While McIlroy missed his four-footer for birdie, Gotterup calmly knocked in his short putt to take a two-shot lead he would never relinquish.
McIlroy battled gamely throughout the final round. His left-handed recovery shot on the 11th hole was a masterclass in scrambling. But on a day when the wind was gusting and the greens were getting increasingly difficult, he couldn't generate the birdies needed to catch Gotterup.
The decisive moment came at the par-5 16th, where both players had chances to make birdie. McIlroy's 12-foot attempt slid by, while Gotterup calmly rolled in his 10-foot putt to restore his two-shot advantage. From there, the outcome felt inevitable.
Gotterup's victory was particularly impressive given the strength of the field and the magnitude of the moment. He beat a field that included the world's top players, doing so with a final-round 66 that showcased both his power and his growing maturity under pressure.
The win earned Gotterup a spot in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, a significant upgrade from his original plan to play the opposite-field event in Lake Tahoe. More importantly, it validated his belief that his breakthrough victory at the Myrtle Beach Classic wasn't a fluke.
For McIlroy, the runner-up finish was actually positive. After struggling with motivation and form following his Masters triumph, he looked increasingly sharp throughout the week in Scotland. His ball-striking was crisp, his putting improved daily, and his demeanor suggested a player who had rediscovered his love for competition.
PGA TOUR: Mouw's Marathon Victory in Kentucky
While the golf world's attention was focused on the major championship drama in France and the star-studded field in Scotland, William Mouw was quietly putting together one of the most impressive final rounds of the season at the ISCO Championship in Louisville.
The 24-year-old former Pepperdine player entered the final round trailing third-round leader Paul Peterson but wasted no time making his move. Mouw birdied the first three holes and added two more on the seventh and eighth holes for a front-nine 30.
The back nine was even better. Mouw added birdies on the 10th, 11th, 13th, and 17th holes to post a stunning 9-under 61, the lowest round of his brief PGA Tour career. The score left him at 10-under 270 and in the clubhouse as the leader, but with Peterson still on the course, Mouw faced an agonizing wait.
For nearly two hours, Mouw watched as Peterson battled to catch him. The 37-year-old veteran made clutch birdie putts of 24 feet on the 14th hole and 30 feet on the 16th to keep his chances alive. But when his 55-foot birdie attempt from the front fringe on the 18th hole slid by, Mouw's victory was secure.
The win was particularly meaningful for Mouw, who had struggled to find consistency in his first season on tour. His breakthrough performance in Kentucky proved he belonged at golf's highest level.
Looking Ahead
The week's results set up several intriguing storylines heading into the season's final stretch. Kim's major championship victory established her as a force in women's golf and intensified the race for the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award.
Gotterup's triumph in Scotland was perhaps even more significant. His ability to outplay McIlroy in such a high-profile setting announced him as a legitimate contender for bigger prizes. The fact that he'll now make his Open Championship debut at Royal Portrush adds another compelling subplot to next week's major championship.
The weekend reminded us why golf remains endlessly compelling. From Kim's eagle magic in France to Gotterup's Scottish surprise to Mouw's marathon victory in Kentucky, it was a weekend that perfectly captured golf's beautiful unpredictability.
