Chris Gotterup opens PGA Tour season by winning Sony Open for his 3rd straight year with a title

HONOLULU (AP) — Chris Gotterup had leis draped around his neck, a flute of champagne in one hand and the gold Sony Open trophy in the other for the traditional toast from the Waialae members Sunday evening. He's loved coming to Hawaii, even if the occasion was never worth celebrating.

He was part of the rookie class that came to Honolulu in 2024 for orientation, only to be told there was no room for them in the field. He missed the cut a year ago, falling to No. 195 in the world.

On Sunday, he pulled away with a combination of power and putting for a 6-under 64 to win the Sony Open by two shots, giving him three victories in three years on the PGA Tour and moving him closer to golf's A-list.

“I just felt like this week I was in a good frame of mind, just happy to be here,” Gotterup said. “I felt like I was in control of my brain, which is the most important thing. I drove it great and made some putts when it mattered.”

He finished at 16-under 264 and moved to No. 17 in the world.

Ryan Gerard birdied his last two holes for a 65 to finish alone in second. He flew to Mauritius at the end of last year and was runner-up to move into the top 50 and secure a spot in his first Masters. Now he’s just outside the top 30.

Patrick Rodgers had another chance at his first PGA Tour victory, but he went without a birdie on the back nine until the final hole. He closed with a 65 to finish third.

“Unfortunately, didn’t have a hot putter today,” said Rodgers, who now has nine top 3s since 2015.

Gotterup had a dream week, in control of his game at Waialae, cruising the streets of Waikiki at night to get away from golf. On Sunday, he got a little help from 54-hole leader Davis Riley, who had a pair of birdies through five holes before his bid ended in a span of four holes.

He had consecutive three-putt bogeys from long range, and then followed with a wild drive into the trees left of the eighth fairway that led to double bogey. He went from a two-shot lead to three shots behind and never caught up, closing with a 71 to tie for sixth.

But then, Gotterup didn't give anyone much of a chance.

“It was anyone’s tournament,” Gotterup said. “Then I made a couple nice putts and I saw a couple people drop back. I know Ryan played a great tournament and he tried to make a run at the end. Couple other guys played great and I just held them off.”

Even on an old-school Waialae course with doglegs framed by royal palms, he pounded away with tee shots of 330-plus yards early on the back nine. But it was his putter that ultimately made a difference.

Gotterup holed a 20-footer on No. 12, and then poured in a 25-foot putt on the 13th, the toughest hole on the course. He all but clinched it with a tee shot that landed perfectly between the pin and the bunker on the par-3 17th for a final birdie.

He said the course reminded him of a home, and Gotterup has a lot of those lately — raised in New Jersey and three years at Rutgers, a senior season at Oklahoma where he stayed until recently moving to Florida.

This reference was Jersey, mainly the shape of the holes and the shots required.

“Just the way you play the golf course reminds me a lot of how I grew up playing,” Gotterup said. “So that is a comforting feeling. I know the kind of golf that’s required ... and it’s a fine line of bomb-and-gouge and also needing to be in the fairway. I did enough of finding the fairway this week.”

The Sony Open was the latest start to the PGA Tour season because The Sentry at Kapalua on Maui was canceled due to a water dispute that had the course brown in September.

The final round at Waialae was played under a vibe that this might be the last of Hawaii on the tour. The Sony Open title sponsorship expires this year, and there is a movement to start the tour season later than ever in 2027 and going forward, either right before or after the Super Bowl.

“Hopefully,” Gotterup said, “I'm not the last champion.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Chris Gotterup reacts after winning the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Gotterup holds his trophy after winning the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Patrick Rodgers reacts on the 13th green during the fourth round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Ryan Gerard hits on the 18th hole during the fourth round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Gotterup reacts after winning the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Gotterup hits from the 14th tee during the fourth round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Gotterup reacts after winning the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

U.S. President Donald Trump linked his aggressive stance on Greenland to last year’s decision not to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, telling Norway’s prime minister that he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace,” in a text message released on Monday.

Trump's message to Jonas Gahr Støre appears to ratchet up a standoff between Washington and its closest allies over his threats to take over Greenland, a self-governing territory of NATO member Denmark. On Saturday, Trump announced a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight nations that have rallied around Denmark and Greenland, including Norway.

Those countries issued a forceful rebuke. But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to de-escalate tensions on Monday. While the White House has not ruled taking control of the strategic Arctic island by force, Starmer said he did not believe military action would occur.

"I think this can be resolved and should be resolved through calm discussion,” he said.

Still, the American leader's message to Gahr Støre could further fracture a U.S.-European relationship already strained by differences over how to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine, previous rounds of tariffs, military spending and migration policy.

In a sign of how tensions have increased in recent days, thousands of Greenlanders marched over the weekend in protest of any effort to take over their island. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post Monday that the tariff threats would not change the their stance.

“We will not be pressured,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business, minerals, energy, justice and equality, told The Associated Press that she was moved by the quick response of allies to the tariff threat and said it showed that countries realize “this is about more than Greenland.”

“I think a lot of countries are afraid that if they let Greenland go, what would be next?”

Trump's message to Gahr Støre, released by the Norwegian government, read in part: “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.”

It concluded: “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”

The Norwegian leader said Trump’s message was a reply to an earlier missive sent on behalf of himself and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in which they conveyed their opposition to the tariff announcement, pointed to a need to de-escalate, and proposed a telephone conversation among the three leaders.

“Norway’s position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter,” the Norwegian leader said in a statement. “As regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I have clearly explained, including to president Trump what is well known, the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian Government.”

He told TV2 Norway that he hadn't responded to the message, but "I still believe it’s wise to talk," and he hopes to talk with Trump in Davos this week.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee is an independent body whose five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the president’s approach in Greenland during a brief Q&A with reporters in Davos, Switzerland, which is hosting the World Economic Forum meeting this week.

“I think it’s a complete canard that the president would be doing this because of the Nobel,” Bessent said, immediately after saying he did not “know anything about the president’s letter to Norway.”

Bessent insisted Trump “is looking at Greenland as a strategic asset for the United States,” adding that “we are not going to outsource our hemispheric security to anyone else.”

Trump has openly coveted the peace prize, which the committee awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado last year. Last week, Machado presented her Nobel medal to Trump, who said he planned to keep it though the committee said the prize can’t be revoked, transferred or shared with others.

In his latest threat of tariffs, Trump indicated they would be retaliation for last week’s deployment of symbolic numbers of troops from the European countries to Greenland — though he also suggested that he was using the tariffs as leverage to negotiate with Denmark.

European governments said that the troops traveled to the island to assess Arctic security, part of a response to Trump’s own concerns about interference from Russia and China.

Starmer on Monday called Trump’s threat of tariffs “completely wrong” and said that a trade war is in no one’s interest.

He added that “being pragmatic does not mean being passive and partnership does not mean abandoning principles.”

Six of the eight countries targeted are part of the 27-member European Union, which operates as a single economic zone in terms of trade. European Council President Antonio Costa said Sunday that the bloc’s leaders expressed “readiness to defend ourselves against any form of coercion.” He announced a summit for Thursday evening.

Starmer indicated that Britain, which is not part of the EU, is not planning to consider retaliatory tariffs.

“My focus is on making sure we don’t get to that stage,” he said.

Denmark’s defense minister and Greenland’s foreign minister are expected to meet NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Brussels on Monday, a meeting that was planned before the latest escalation.

Associated Press writers Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Florida; Emma Burrows in Nuuk, Greenland; and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

The Danish navy's inspection ship HDMS Vaedderen sails off Nuuk, Greenland, on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Danish soldiers disembark at the harbor in Nuuk, Greenland, on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Danish soldiers disembark at the harbor in Nuuk, Greenland, on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)