Chris Gotterup Wins John Deere Classic With Brother on the Bag

Chris Gotterup has become one of the most talked-about names on the PGA Tour in 2026, and his latest victory came with an unexpected storyline.

When Gotterup claimed the John Deere Classic title at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, the man walking beside him carrying his bag was not his usual caddie. It was his younger brother, Patrick Gotterup. 

Patrick, who is two years younger than Chris, stepped in for the week because Chris’s regular caddie, Brady Stockton, was on leave after the recent birth of his child.

What started as a favor between siblings turned into one of the most emotional finishes of the season, as Chris closed with a bogey-free 62 to erase a five-shot deficit and capture his fifth career PGA Tour title. 

Who Is Patrick Gotterup

Away from golf, Patrick works in sports marketing at Elevate, a New York based global sports agency. He took time off from his job, along with some personal days, to caddie for his brother during John Deere week.

It was not the first time the two had teamed up on the course. Patrick previously carried Chris’s bag during his run on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023, the year Chris earned his PGA Tour card, and he also caddied for him during his amateur days.

Patrick has watched his brother’s career build step by step, from a standout college run that began at Rutgers and continued at Oklahoma State, through the grind of professional golf’s developmental circuits, and now into a stretch as one of the tour’s breakout stars.

Speaking about that progression, Patrick said he always believed his brother had the tools and simply needed time to put each piece together. 

For Chris, having family on the bag added a different kind of pressure relief during a week that turned into a career highlight.

After the win, he thanked the tournament for its hospitality toward him over the years and said having Patrick there made the week feel special, even joking about hoping his brother could get one more day away from the office before they moved on to the next event. 

A Family Moment Years In The Making

The image of Chris in tears on the driving range while waiting to see if his lead would hold, with Patrick standing nearby, quickly became one of the defining pictures of the week.

Their bond was evident throughout the broadcast, as the brothers were seen laughing and talking their way around the course during the final round. 

Chris entered the day five shots back of the leaders but opened with a hot start, birdieing his first hole and building momentum with a stretch of birdies through the middle of his round.

He needed every bit of that cushion, since journeyman Ben Kohles pushed him until the very end before a late mistake on the closing hole sealed the outcome in Gotterup’s favor.

With the win, Chris moved to three victories on the season and five for his career, cementing his status as one of the sport’s fastest-rising players.

Patrick, meanwhile, is expected to return to his regular job this week as Chris heads to Scotland to defend his Genesis Scottish Open title with Brady Stockton back on the bag. 

For one week in Illinois, though, the spotlight belonged to both brothers.

Patrick’s willingness to step away from his career in New York to support Chris turned a routine tour stop into a family memory neither is likely to forget anytime soon.