Chris Gotterup was crowned the new champion of the John Deere Classic, a golf tournament he holds close to his heart for giving him a chance and kick-starting his career four years ago.
Gotterup claimed the 2026 JDC title on Sunday, July 5, at TPC Deere Run, Silvis, with a 20-under par, and his younger brother Patrick caddying for him all week.
“It’s such a cool moment,” the 26-year-old pro golfer told reporters after firing a final-round 62 (nine under) to win the Quad Cities PGA Tour event. “Obviously, Brady (Stockon) who caddies for me normally had a kid last week, and we kind of planned this out a couple of months ago. We were just planning on having a fun week and obviously try to come win. But to have it actually happen is cool and just a special moment that we’ll never forget.”
Gotterup made his first JDC appearance in 2022 on a sponsor’s exemption, in which, he tied for fourth in his fifth professional start. Forward to 2026, he beat out runner-up Max Homa (19 under) and also avoided what was looking like a potential playoff with Ben Kohles. Instead, Kohles ended up in a three-way tie at 18 under with Lee Hodges and Lucas Glover.
With his JDC win — landed miles away from title sponsor John Deere’s headquarters in Moline, Gotterup now is off to defend his title at the Genesis Scottish Open, where he held off Rory McIlroy a year ago.
Out on the TPC practice range prepping for a possible playoff, Gotterup could not hold back his emotions when he learned of his victory.
The win earned Gotterup $1.584 million of the tournament’s record $8.8 million purse. According to the PGA, his newly added 500 FedExCup points pushes him up six slots to sixth in the standings.
Patriotic flare
The well-fought win was just some of the magic that happened at the Quad Cities region’s only PGA Tour event. Throughout the week, it was being called one of the best fields of players for the JDC.
Two-time JDC winner and three-time major champion Jordan Spieth and hometown favorite Zach Johnson, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa native, both returned for the 2026 competition. Johnson ended up ninth in a three-way tie with a 16-under par. Spieth finished 58th with a 2-under and in a five-way tie. Brian Campbell, the 2025 JDC Champion, did not make the cut.
The golf was just a part of the excitement as the John Deere Classic pulled out all the stops for tournament week, the Fourth of July and the nation’s 250th birthday. On Independence Day the JDC Concerts on the course returned with a patriotic flare and Carrie Underwood delivering an electric performance. On Sunday night, July 5, country band Old Dominion took to the stage to close out the 2026 JDC and wrap up the fourth year of the Concerts on the Course on TPC’s 18th green.
Ahead of the weekend tournament, Director Andrew Lehman told the QCBJ how the staff and its dedicated 2,400 JDC volunteers were excited to celebrate their tournament coinciding with the nation’s 250th. “To have such a milestone birthday for the country and to have us be able to celebrate that here is really cool.”
The thousands of spectators – golf fans and country fans alike – were treated to an unforgettable 4th of July. Ahead of Carrie Underwood’s concert, the National Anthem was played by the St. Ambrose University Marching Band as the Patriot Parachute Team, Folds of Honor, dropped in overhead on the 18th fareway.
“Golf is not a sport that really allows you a 7 p.m. kickoff or a 7 p.m. first pitch,” Mr. Lehman said Thursday, July 2, the first day of tournament play. “Golf’s going on all day and we’ve tried to find a window of time we can celebrate appropriately.”
This year’s tournament scored a total of 2,041 birdies for the JDC’s Birdies for Charity nonprofit arm. Since its inception in 1971, the event has raised more than $205 million for charity including a record $16.9 million in 2025. The Birdies fundraising results are typically reported in October.
Gotterup’s ‘5th major’
Quizzed by reporters after the win, Gotterup was asked about his previous reference to the JDC being his fifth major.
He recounted how former Tournament Director Clair Peterson got him a sponsor’s exemption in 2022 and how grateful he is for that. “It really kick-started my whole career honestly. At that time, I had no status anywhere. To get a fourth (place tie) here was the biggest tournament of my life at that point.”
The media also had to know – did he stay at the Champions House, a home in Geneseo, Illinois, that is rented out to some of the pros during tournament week and has hosted golfers who became JDC champions. Also known as the “Trophy House,” the property has been a good luck charm for the pros including champions including Davis Thompson (2024), Sepp Straka (2023), and J.T. Poston (2022).
Gotterup, who did not stay there, said he “broke the streak happily.”
But he didn’t begin the day thinking he’d leave the winner. Taking the day hole by hole, he said “I definitely didn’t tee off one and be, like, I’m going to win this tournament today. I was trailing by five or six or whatever it was (at the start of the day)… Obviously, (I) got off to a great start and then was, like, when I was five under through seven I was, all right now I’m in the mix.”
Speaking to the JDC’s importance to him, he said “Obviously, we’re biased towards places that we play well at and that we like, and this is one of those for me. To be able to come back and win makes it even more special.”
