Gotterup’s Breakout, Dubai Drama, and TGL’s Tuesday Showdown
In this week’s “The Starter,” PGA professional Brendon Elliott, a three-decade industry veteran, gives his thoughts on the week that was in golf for R.org. Chris Gotterup announces himself as a legitimate star with a dominant Sony Open victory. Nacho Elvira survives final-hole chaos in Dubai. And TGL returns Tuesday night with Jupiter Links seeking redemption.
Gotterup Arrives: Sony Open Belongs to Rising Star
The Performance We’ve Been Waiting For
Chris Gotterup didn’t just win the Sony Open in Hawaii; he showed everyone he’s a rising force in golf with a performance that proved what he can do.
Gotterup shot a final-round 64 at Waialae Country Club, finishing 16-under 264 and beating Ryan Gerard by two shots. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story. On Sunday, we saw a player fully in control of his game, his nerves, and the moment. Gotterup started the final round two shots behind Davis Riley, the 54-hole leader. Riley struggled with two bogeys and a double bogey over three tough holes starting at the sixth, giving Gotterup the chance he needed and he took it.
Power Meets Precision
Working as a PGA professional for the past 17 years, coaching for over two decades, and working in golf’s trenches for over 30 years, I can tell you that Gotterup’s driving display on Sunday ranks among the most impressive I’ve seen on a classic layout like Waialae. This isn’t a course built for bombers. Seth Raynor designed it to reward strategy and precision, not raw distance.
Gotterup rewrote that script. He hit every fairway on the back nine. Three of those tee shots travelled over 335 yards. On holes where most players were hitting mid-irons into greens, Gotterup was flipping wedges. The statistical dominance was staggering: he gained 4.357 strokes off the tee for the week, best in the field by a considerable margin.
What sets great players apart is more than just power, and Gotterup showed that. He made key putts when it mattered: a 21-footer at the 12th, a 26-footer at the 13th, and a clutch 12-footer at the 17th to seal the win. He gained over five strokes putting for the week and was second in putts per green in regulation.
The Bigger Picture
This is Gotterup’s third PGA Tour win in three seasons. Three wins in three years is impressive; only Scottie Scheffler (four) and Rory McIlroy (eight) have longer current streaks of consecutive wins.
Last year at this time, Gotterup was outside the top 200 in the World Golf Rankings after missing the cut in Honolulu. With this win, he’ll move inside the top 20. That’s not just improvement. That’s transformation.
Golf Channel analyst Brendon de Jonge summed it up perfectly: “I think we have a star in the making.” After watching Gotterup dismantle Waialae on Sunday, it’s hard to argue.
Dubai Delivers Drama: Elvira Holds On
Chaos at the 72nd Hole
While Gotterup was cruising to victory in Hawaii, Nacho Elvira was white-knuckling his way through one of the most dramatic finishes you’ll see all season at the Dubai Invitational.
Sunday at Dubai Creek Resort turned into absolute chaos. No less than five players shared the lead at various points during the final round. Elvira had built a commanding three-shot advantage after birdieing the seventh, but gave it all back with consecutive bogeys at eight and nine. Suddenly, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Daniel Hillier, and Marcus Armitage were all tied with the Spaniard at nine under.
Lowry made his move at the 15th, draining a 27-foot birdie putt to grab the solo lead. Meanwhile, Elvira steadied himself and answered with a birdie at the 17th to rejoin Lowry at ten under.
Then came the moment that decided everything. Just as Elvira’s seven-foot birdie putt dropped on 17, Lowry’s bunker shot at the 18th flew the green and splashed into the water. Double bogey. The Irishman had spectacularly fallen out of contention.
All Elvira needed was a par on the final hole. He showed nerves of steel, calmly rolling in a one-footer to secure his third DP World Tour title. After the chaos that preceded it, that tap-in must have felt like the easiest shot of the day.
Elvira’s victory serves as a reminder that professional golf’s ecosystem extends well beyond what we see on American television each weekend. The depth of talent competing across multiple tours globally continues to grow, and events like the Dubai Invitational showcase players who are every bit as skilled as their more famous counterparts.
TGL Tuesday: Jupiter Links Seeks Redemption
Bouncing Back from a Tough Start
Jupiter Links Golf Club is back in action Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, looking to bounce back after losing their season opener 8-3 to New York Golf Club last week.
Max Homa, Akshay Bhatia and Kevin Kisner will represent Jupiter against Los Angeles Golf Club’s trio of Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala. Both teams sit at 0-1-0, making this a critical early-season matchup for playoff positioning.
Tiger Woods remains sidelined with injury but will attend the match in a non-playing role. He’ll be mic’d up and integrated into the ESPN broadcast, providing strategy insights and reactions throughout the evening. That access alone makes Tuesday’s match appointment viewing.
The Matchups That Matter
The singles matchups promise some great head-to-head battles. Homa faces Rose at the par-5 “Sterling,” where both have big advantages off the tee. Homa averaged 336.4 yards in his first match, while Rose averaged 323.9 yards.
Bhatia, TGL’s first lefty, will try to find his rhythm against Morikawa, one of last season’s top scorers. They’ll play “Stinger,” the par-4 where Homa’s 4-iron hit the overhanging rock last week.
Kisner and Theegala will finish the singles matches, starting at “Cenote” and ending at the par-5 “Stone & Steeple.” Kisner did well in his debut, tying both singles holes with Cameron Young even though he gave up a lot of distance.
Continuing to Find Its Footing
Here’s what I appreciate about TGL after watching the opening matches: it knows what it is. This isn’t trying to replace traditional golf or compete with the PGA Tour. It’s a complementary product that fills the January void when most tour players are on vacation.
The format moves quickly. The stakes feel legitimate. The talent is undeniable. And the Tuesday night window gives golf fans something to watch during a traditionally quiet stretch of the calendar.
Jupiter Links showed flashes last week, particularly when they won their team hole with a birdie. No team has lost on its designated team hole this season, and that home-field advantage could prove crucial Tuesday night. If Homa and company can build early momentum and avoid the mistakes that plagued them against New York, they have the firepower to get their first win.
Tune in Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Both teams need a victory, and desperation tends to produce the kind of drama TGL was built to deliver.