Tuesday, October 8
South Bend, Ind.
Rutgers University
at
Fighting Irish Classic
Gotterup Captures 2019 Fighting Irish Classic Title
Oct 08 | Men's Golf
Final Results
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Junior Christopher Gotterup captured the 2019 Fighting Irish Classic title with a 14-under-par 199 (68-63-68) on Tuesday in South Bend, Indiana. The win was the first of Gotterup's collegiate career and the first for Rutgers men's golf since classmate Oliver Whatley won the Janney Invitational during the 2017 fall season.
Holding a four-stroke lead on the 81-player field after the first two rounds of the tournament, Gotterup fired off a three-under-par 68 with five birdies in the final round to finish with an eight-stroke lead over North Carolina's Ryan Burnett and Arizona State's Mason Andersen. The Little Silver, New Jersey, native birdied his final hole to close the tournament with the second lowest three-round score (199, -14) in tournament history.
"It was obviously a great week and I played well," Gotterup said. "To close out with a birdie on the last hole and put an explanation point on it was a great feeling."
Gotterup came in under par in each of his three rounds, highlighted by a bogey-free 63 with eight birdies in the second round on Monday. Gotterup, who also produced a three-under-par 68 to open play, finished with a tournament-high 17 birdies and also led the field in par-3 scoring (2.75, -3) and par-4 scoring (3.82, -6).
A 2019 PING All-Region and Second Team All-Big Ten selection, Gotterup has been one of the hottest golfers in the region since last spring. Gotterup finished fourth at the 2019 Big Ten Conference Championships in Philadelphia this past April and secured individual titles at both the 99th New Jersey State Golf Association (NJSGA) Open and 117th Met Amateur championships over the summer.
"It was certainly one of the more impressive tournaments in program history," said head coach Rob Shutte. "He not only won, but defeated a deep field and did so by eight shots. He was in total control and it further validates that he can compete on any stage with anyone."
Rutgers finished tied-for-fourth in the 14-team field with an eleven-over-par 863 (284-289-90). The Scarlet Knights beat out Big Ten Conference foes Michigan State (11th) and Michigan (12th) at the tournament.
Senior Tony Jiang moved up 16 spots during the final round to finish tied for 44th in the field (222: 72-78-27). Whatley tied for 58th (225: 74-73-78), while rookies Xavier Marcoux (227: 70-80-77) and Brendan Hansen (228: 80-75-73) tied for 67th and 70th, respectively.
Rutgers returns to action from Oct. 20-21 at the Quail Valley Collegiate, hosted by Michigan State, in Vero Beach, Florida.
| Player (Finish) | Rd. 1 | Rd. 2 | Rd. 3 | Total |
| Christopher Gotterup (1) | 68 | 63 | 68 | 199 (-14) |
| Tony Jiang (T44) | 72 | 78 | 72 | 222 (+9) |
| Oliver Whatley (T58) | 74 | 73 | 78 | 225 (+12) |
| Xavier Marcoux (T67) | 70 | 80 | 77 | 227 (+14) |
| Brendan Hansen (T70) | 80 | 75 | 73 | 228 (+15) |
| Rutgers (T4) | 284 | 289 | 290 | 863 (+11) |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Junior Christopher Gotterup captured the 2019 Fighting Irish Classic title with a 14-under-par 199 (68-63-68) on Tuesday in South Bend, Indiana. The win was the first of Gotterup's collegiate career and the first for Rutgers men's golf since classmate Oliver Whatley won the Janney Invitational during the 2017 fall season.
Holding a four-stroke lead on the 81-player field after the first two rounds of the tournament, Gotterup fired off a three-under-par 68 with five birdies in the final round to finish with an eight-stroke lead over North Carolina's Ryan Burnett and Arizona State's Mason Andersen. The Little Silver, New Jersey, native birdied his final hole to close the tournament with the second lowest three-round score (199, -14) in tournament history.
"It was obviously a great week and I played well," Gotterup said. "To close out with a birdie on the last hole and put an explanation point on it was a great feeling."
Gotterup came in under par in each of his three rounds, highlighted by a bogey-free 63 with eight birdies in the second round on Monday. Gotterup, who also produced a three-under-par 68 to open play, finished with a tournament-high 17 birdies and also led the field in par-3 scoring (2.75, -3) and par-4 scoring (3.82, -6).
A 2019 PING All-Region and Second Team All-Big Ten selection, Gotterup has been one of the hottest golfers in the region since last spring. Gotterup finished fourth at the 2019 Big Ten Conference Championships in Philadelphia this past April and secured individual titles at both the 99th New Jersey State Golf Association (NJSGA) Open and 117th Met Amateur championships over the summer.
"It was certainly one of the more impressive tournaments in program history," said head coach Rob Shutte. "He not only won, but defeated a deep field and did so by eight shots. He was in total control and it further validates that he can compete on any stage with anyone."
Rutgers finished tied-for-fourth in the 14-team field with an eleven-over-par 863 (284-289-90). The Scarlet Knights beat out Big Ten Conference foes Michigan State (11th) and Michigan (12th) at the tournament.
Senior Tony Jiang moved up 16 spots during the final round to finish tied for 44th in the field (222: 72-78-27). Whatley tied for 58th (225: 74-73-78), while rookies Xavier Marcoux (227: 70-80-77) and Brendan Hansen (228: 80-75-73) tied for 67th and 70th, respectively.
Rutgers returns to action from Oct. 20-21 at the Quail Valley Collegiate, hosted by Michigan State, in Vero Beach, Florida.
Players Mentioned
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