In-form Chris Gotterup brings confidence on Masters debut after rapid rise

[p]When asked during his pre-tournament ‌press conference on Monday what about the course makes him nervous, the 26-year-old's answer was simple: nothing.[/p][p]Not the ‌treacherous slopes of the putting surfaces or the popular three-hole stretch known as ‌Amen Corner that tends to be a pivotal spot in deciding the Masters tournament each ‌year.[/p][embed guid="a65e7d6b-4adf-47c8-8136-9758091ee95c" url="https://x.com/TheMasters/status/2041199399091442072" social-type="twitter" /][p]"I don't think anything about the course makes me nervous. I think I'm ‌going to be nervous on the first tee for sure," said [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gotterup-christopher/nVwVk9Kf/"]Gotterup[/a], bidding to become the first Masters rookie to win a Green Jacket since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.[/p][p]"[b]It's more the excitement and getting ‌ready to play in the Masters more than - at ⁠the end of the day, every tournament ‌you go out and you try to perform your best. So I think it's more of ​just trying to settle down the nerves of playing[/b]."[/p][h2]Well-earned confidence after four wins[/h2][p]The distinction matters. It's not the course that gives him pause - it's the ​occasion. Given what he's accomplished, that confidence is well-earned.[/p][p]Gotterup won the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic in 2024 for his first PGA Tour title, broke through internationally with a ⁠win at the Scottish Open ​last year, followed by a third-place finish at the British Open. He's carried that momentum into 2026 with victories in Honolulu and Phoenix and is 11th in the world rankings.[/p][p]He joins Dave Hill (1968) and Mark Wilson (2011) as the only players since World War Two ‌to make their Masters debut with at least four official PGA Tour wins.[/p][p]That helped propel him to a career-high fifth in the world rankings in February.[/p][h2]Avoided Masters until getting player invite[/h2][p]Yet for all his success, what may say the most about Gotterup is why he'd never set foot at Augusta until now. He had chances to visit as a spectator but said no every time.[/p][p]"[b]I have gotten offered to come watch the tournament from sponsors or from whoever it may be, and I said I can't go over there until I play, or else if I'm retired, then ‌I can go over[/b]," he said after a practice round with 2025 Masters runner-up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rose-justin/rR1fSdat/"]​Justin Rose[/a].[/p][p]It's a stubbornness rooted in respect for the event - and for himself.[/p][embed guid="80f66a6f-2528-484f-8fea-c3e1b5ba9ea3" url="https://x.com/TheMasters/status/2041221734074831231" social-type="twitter" /][p]"I ‌don't know, it's just something that I think this is such a special event, and it's something that I wanted to experience playing rather than watching," he said.[/p][p]"[b]I get a little stubborn, and I don't want to - it would be not an enjoyable experience for me. Even though it would be bucket list ⁠for a lot of people, I ⁠want to play, and I want ‌to be a part of it how I see fit[/b]."[/p]