For a couple of years now, there has been an understandable conversation about the PGA Tour’s great divide – the one between the money-stuffed, limited-field signature events and the so-called regular tour events – and the two-tier system it has, perhaps unwittingly, created.
It has coincided, to a degree, with the exodus of name players to LIV Golf a few years back and raised the question of where the PGA Tour might mine its new stars if most of the focus is on a handful of events already populated by the household names.
Fear not, the PGA Tour is doing just fine generating new name players, the most recent being Chris Gotterup, who has climbed from outside the top 200 in the world a year ago to inside the top 20 after his season-opening victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
While LIV understandably seems to have turned its focus to signing top young talent – the Tuesday announcement that reigning NCAA champion Michael La Sasso has joined Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC team is another indication – the PGA Tour continues to produce new stars.
Gotterup is following the lead of Ben Griffin, who won three times in 2025, played himself onto the U.S. Ryder Cup team last fall and now finds himself among the more recognizable players on tour.
Throw in Akshay Bhatia, the on-rushing Ryan Gerard and the mid-career emergences of Cam Young, Sepp Straka and Robert MacIntyre, and the tour continues to seed its present and near future with relatively new blood.
Some players find a moment and seize it then fade back into the crowd. Gotterup, however, may be one is built for the longer haul.
He won the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic in the spring of 2024 but it was last summer when Gotterup blossomed. His victory in the Genesis Scottish Open sparkled because he held off Rory McIlroy in the final round and, one week later, Gotterup was in contention to win the Open Championship at Royal Portrush until Scottie Scheffler eventually pulled away.
“Having a win or two under your belt always helps, coming down the stretch knowing that you’ve done it and that you’re able to execute under pressure. – Chris Gotterup
It was enough that Gotterup’s name was in the middle of the Ryder Cup conversation as captain Keegan Bradley considered his six at-large picks. Ultimately, Griffin, Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa got spots that left Gotterup on the outside, a decision that drew increased scrutiny after the Americans lost the Ryder Cup and neither Burns nor Morikawa won a match.
Gotterup’s performance in the Sony Open was rock solid, effectively bleaching any potential drama out of the final nine holes as he used his exceptional driving ability to overpower Waialae Country Club. McIlroy was playing in Dubai and Scheffler was a week away from making his 2026 debut, but Gotterup had the look of an ascendant player. He looked as comfortable as a tourist walking the beach at nearby Waikiki.
“Having a win or two under your belt always helps, coming down the stretch knowing that you’ve done it and that you’re able to execute under pressure. I felt like I did a great job of that,” Gotterup said Sunday.
“A lot of these tournaments you just kind of got to hang around as long as you can and hang in the fight. I felt like I did a great job of that this week. Then when I got momentum I kept it and I didn’t squander it at any point.”
Gotterup has now won at least once in each of his first three seasons on the PGA Tour and, with a swing that has a dash of homemade flavor to it, he has both the modern power and success to suggest he has staying power.
Meanwhile, the La Sasso announcement offered more evidence that despite losing Brooks Koepka back to the PGA Tour, LIV continues to follow its own path while attracting enough talent to matter.
“It’s a rare opportunity to learn from one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and I don’t take that lightly.” – Michael La Sasso
Thomas Detry, who won the 2025 WM Phoenix Open, jumped to LIV this year as did Ben An, a longtime PGA Tour fixture, among others.
La Sasso’s decision, which costs him his invitation to the Masters because he has turned pro, mirrors the decisions made by 2024 U.S. Amateur champion Jose Luis Ballester and other young players including Caleb Surratt, Eugenio Chacarra and David Puig.
Chacarra flamed out on LIV after winning one event and, after being relegated from the league, is attempting to restart his career with his eyes on the PGA Tour.
La Sasso was a finalist last year for both the Jack Nicklaus and Fred Haskins awards, which recognize the top collegiate men’s golfer.
“It’s a rare opportunity to learn from one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and I don’t take that lightly,” La Sasso said of joining Mickelson’s team in a statement.
For Gotterup and La Sasso, there are different paths and different destinations.