2025 Scottish Open leaderboard, grades: Chris Gotterup edges Rory McIlroy for biggest win of young career

Gotterup picked up his second career PGA Tour victory -- first since 2014 -- in stellar fashion

From the Jersey Shore to the Scottish Coast, Chris Gotterup has laid claim to the biggest title of his professional golf career. Holding off fellow 54-hole leader Rory McIlroy at the Renaissance Club, Gotterup reached 15 under thanks to final-round 66 to reign supreme at the 2025 Scottish Open by two strokes over McIlroy and Marco Penge.

With the win comes riches for Gotterup. He grabs one of the three available spots in the field for next week's Open Championship -- his debut appearance in the final major of the season. This week's Scottish Open marked just the second links golf tournament of his career with the other coming in the 2024 event.

Not only has Gotterup secured a place on the tee sheet at Royal Portrush, he has locked up a PGA Tour card through the next two seasons. A winner in Myrtle Beach in an opposite-field event in his rookie season, the PGA Tour sophomore will relish in this win as it also comes with invitations into the Masters, PGA Championship, Players Championship and The Sentry.

Gotterup entered the week No. 88 in the FedEx Cup standings, in jeopardy of missing the postseason and having to vie for his playing privileges in the fall. He now finds himself inside the top 40 with only a handful of events to go -- in position to possibly secure his place in the signature events for 2026 should he qualify for the BMW Championship.

While the wind and the crowd was in McIlroy's favor, Gotterup came into the final round with a mentality that he had nothing to lose. An opening tee shot found a pot bunker and led to a bogey with Gotterup's name immediately falling behind that of his playing partner.

After the nervy start, Gotterup started to swing freely again, lining up left and letting his ball drift to the right over and over. Birdies were had on the par-5 3rd and again on Nos. 7-8 to pull him even with the grand slam winner by the time the final threesome made the turn.

Gotterup got ahead for the first time all afternoon when a birdie came from his blade on the opening par 5 of the second nine. McIlroy was unable to match as he battled a loose driver and did well to keep the leader within shouting distance down the stretch.

A moment then arrived on the par-3 12th where Gotterup stuck his approach inside 3 feet after McIlroy got within 5 feet. When McIlroy missed, Gotterup brushed his into the cup, extending his lead to two strokes with five holes to play.

If only wins over future hall of famers were that easy. The 25-year-old was placed on the clock for his pace of play a couple holes later with his first bogey since the opening hole getting penciled onto his scorecard. McIlroy and Penge breathed down his neck as he trundled down the hill of the par-5 16th, but Gotterup kept his composure. 

Again, he and McIlroy faced birdie looks from similar positions, and again, it was Gotterup who picked his ball out of the hole. 

A professional par save came calling on the next and made it so Gotterup's advantage remained two with one hole to play. Now with plenty of space to breathe, the big-hitting right hander did just that as he walked up the final fairway with a smile on his face and with the biggest title of his young career in tow. Grade: A+

Here are the rest of the notables on the leaderboard at the 2025 Scottish Open.

T2. Rory McIlroy (-13): Win No. 30 on the PGA Tour will have to wait. Owning a share of the 54-hole lead, McIlroy grabbed sole possession in the early stages of the final round before Gotterup caught him by the turn. Some waywardness with his driver handcuffed him at key points, and despite his ability to save par from no man's land largely due to his putter, McIlroy's march to the top proved too steep. He now turns his attention to a return to Northern Ireland for The Open where he aims to bounce back from not only a missed cut in last year's championship but also the last time the Claret Jug was up for grabs in his home country in 2019. Grade: A

T8. Ludvig Åberg (-9): For the second straight weekend at the Scottish Open, Åberg faced his fair share of adversity. Touching the lead at one point n Saturday, the Swede played a three-hole stretch in 5 over that ultimately spelled his doom. During this run, he hit two greens in regulation on par 3s (and 3 putted) and split the fairway on the par-4 13th (making triple bogey). Some mental errors like this have added up for Åberg in 2025, but they weren't enough to keep him outside the top 10 this week -- his first since the Masters. He also ranked inside the top 10 in both driving accuracy and greens in regulation, which can transfer to next week's venue. Grade: A-

T8. Xander Schauffele (-9): The finish represents Schauffele's second top-10 of the season and his first since the Masters. The two-time major champion was terrific in the areas that carry the bulk of the attention as he led the field in strokes gained approach and ranked third from tee to green. The statistics did not produce a true contention run as he remained perplexed on the greens, but it did increase the volume around his name ahead of his title defense at The Open where his chances will boil down to his ability to split fairways and convert high-leverage putts. "I think next week will be smoother greens," Schauffele said. "Usually, when it's really lush and raining a lot, it's slow, but it's pretty smooth. So, I could be wrong." Grade: B+

T8. Scottie Scheffler (-9): Of those who made the cut, no one was worse than Scheffler from inside 10 feet. Despite a leaky driver, the world No. 1 gave himself plenty of chances to score but was unable to convert them with any sort of consistency needed to seriously contend. The Renaissance Club has the lowest make percentage from 4-8 feet on the PGA Tour, so it will be interesting to see if this becomes a trend for Scheffler at Royal Portrush. He now has seven top-25 finishes in his eight starts across The Open and the Scottish Open. Grade: B

MC. Collin Morikawa: The new partnership with caddie Billy Foster did not matter for Morikawa in Scotland. After getting off to a decent start, the two-time major champion shot 6 over on Friday to miss his first individual cut since last year's Arnold Palmer Invitational. His driver was poor for his standards and forced him to play out of position more times than not. Combine this with a less-than-stellar iron performance and another tournament in which frustrations boiled over on the greens, and Morikawa was left searching for answers ahead of the final major championship of the season. Grade: F

[Jul 13, 2025 at 1:32 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

What a moment on No. 16

Chris Gotterup continues to show some fight! It is a birdie from his blade — and not Rory's — on the par 5 and pushes his lead back out to two strokes with two holes to play. McIlroy missed from just outside Gotterup's mark and will need a heroic finish similar to 2023.

[Jul 13, 2025 at 1:10 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Gotterup on the clock

Well isn't that a fun wrinkle with only four holes to play. Chris Gotterup has been put on the clock in the final group for his pace of play and proceeds to launch his second well long of the green on the par-4 15th. He now has roughly 30 feet for par — which is the same distance Rory has for birdie. Looks like the lead will drop to 14 under which will put him one clear of Rory and Marco Penge.

[Jul 13, 2025 at 12:45 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Gotterup two clear with five to play

What a nice par save there from the leader. Known for his power, Gotterup has seriously impressed today with his touchy wedge shots and putting inside 6 feet. He needed both there on the par-4 13th as he gets up and in from beyond the green to remain at 15 under and two clear of Rory.

[Jul 13, 2025 at 12:14 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Another mega par from Rory

After missing the fairway (again) and finding his ball against a tree, Rory McIlroy leaves the 11th hole with par. He had to bat on the other side of the plate for his second and tossed his third just inside 10 feet. There was a chance for a two-shot swing in Gotterups's favor, but the Jersey boy will remain one clear at 14 under of his playing partner.

[Jul 13, 2025 at 11:46 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Fitzpatrick gets within one

[Jul 13, 2025 at 11:29 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Rory's putter

Rory McIlroy and Chris Gotterup make the turn at 13 under — two clear of Marco Penge. If Rory putts like he did his first nine holes, he will be difficult to beat as he connected from 8 feet, 8 feet, 21 feet and 13 feet in the middle portion of his front nine. There is hardly any wind out there at the moment. Time to pin your ears back.

[Jul 13, 2025 at 10:55 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Big save from Rory

That is a big boy par save from the leader. Forced to play out sideways from a pot bunker on No. 7, McIlroy plays his third 20 feet below the pin from 200 yards and rolls in a beauty of a right to lefter for par. He remains at 12 under and is joined by Chris Gotterup who is not going anywhere with another birdie of his own.

[Jul 13, 2025 at 10:23 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Back-to-back for Rory

After dropping a shot on the par-5 3rd, Rory McIlroy has rolled in two straight birdies to regain the solo lead. From 8 feet on No. 4 and 8 feet on No. 5, the 2023 champion has surged to the top of the leaderboard at 12 under.

[Jul 13, 2025 at 9:54 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

New leaders

That was a head-scratching third hole from Rory McIlroy. He missed the fairway, drew a solid lie in the rough and duck hooked his second with a long iron. He ends up carding a bogey to drop to 10 under — one behind Marco Penge who has rolled in two birdies in a row and Chris Gotterup who got his first birdie on No. 3.

[Jul 13, 2025 at 9:33 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Hovland's tee shot into No. 6

[Jul 13, 2025 at 9:22 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Here comes Hovland

The Norwegian has come out firing this Sunday. Four birdies in his first six holes have Viktor Hovland all the way into the top five at 9 under and only two behind Rory McIlroy. McIlroy will now enter the scorable stretch of the front nine and try to push his lead out to even more over Chris Gotterup and company.

[Jul 13, 2025 at 8:56 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Rory grabs solo lead on opener

Chris Gotterup hits his first tee shot into a pot bunker and is unable to save par from there meaning Rory McIlroy is the man out in front by himself at 11 under. The first two holes are playing over par today — as they have for most of the week — before the opening nine eases up and presents scoring chances.

[Jul 13, 2025 at 8:26 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Scheffler signs for opening birdie

Don't count out the world No. 1 quite yet. An opening birdie thanks to a laser of a long iron into the par-4 1st puts Scottie Scheffler at 7 under and only four strokes off the lead. He hit his tee shot into a bunker on No. 2, but he has done well to give himself a look at par from 5 feet.