Chris Gotterup made Rutgers history at the Masters — but his first round was a missed opportunity
Chris Gotterup, the first Rutgers golfer to tee it up at Augusta National, experienced the highs and lows of the Masters.
Chris Gotterup made Rutgers history at 1:08 p. m. when the starter at Augusta National — “FORE, PLEASE!
” — announced to the patrons gathered around the first tee box that the Little Silver native was about to hit his first tee shot at the Masters. This is something no Rutgers golfer had ever done in the 90-year history of the famous tournament, a fact that no doubt makes Gotterup proud. Rutgers leaned into the moment on social media, producing a three-and-a-half-minute video with coaches, friends and officials from the university wishing him luck .
But let’s be real. That wasn’t the history that Gotterup had his eyes on when he pulled his rental car up Magnolia Lane on Thursday morning. He was shooting to become the first golfer since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win the Masters on his first try — and plenty of experts believed he had a shot to do just that.
He still does, too, even after an up-and-down first round on Thursday. Gotterup shot an even-par 72, leaving him five strokes behind defending champion Rory McIlroy and American Sam Burns. But given the makeable birdie putts he missed on the back nine, Gotterup likely left the course a little frustrated.