Gotterup Victorious in 64th Senior Amateur Championship presented by NJM Insurance Group
RED BANK, N.J. – The 64th Senior Amateur Championship presented by NJM Insurance Group concluded play on a chilly Tuesday afternoon at Navesink Country Club. Morten Gotterup of Rumson Country Club came from behind to claim the C.H. Smith Trophy after carding an exciting 1-over par 72 throughout the windy day, giving him a total of 4-over par 146 through the 36 hole championship.
Gotterup opened his final round on a hot start, carding a birdie on No. 2, a bogey on 6 and then bounced back to close out the front nine at 1-under par.
“I got to 11 and I had 93 yards into the green for my third, and I cold shanked it left out onto Navesink River Road. That kind of shocked me,” Gotterup recalled. “I made a double bogey and then kind of bounced back from there.”
That’s exactly what he did. Gotterup recorded a par on holes 12 through18 to put him at his 1-over finish, which would be more than enough to secure the win. He bested the field by three strokes.
The victory was significant for Gotterup, who has a history with Navesink Country Club.
“This is kind of a special win. My father was a member here. When he was a member, I was a junior member,” Gotterup reflected. “I enjoyed it and spent a lot of time and got to know a lot of the members, and I live 10 minutes from here, so it was really special. This is a course that I've probably played 500 rounds, so it felt great.”
The Gotterup family is no stranger to big wins between Morten and his son, PGA Tour competitor and 2019 New Jersey Open Champion Chris. Gotterup, 55, has a pair of NJSGA victories under his belt as well, claiming the 2020 New Jersey Four-Ball Championship and the 2012 New Jersey Pre-Senior Championship.
“They're all special, but this one kind of means a lot for two reasons. One is I haven't been playing a lot, I've been chasing Christopher around,” said Gotterup.
Chasing around may be an understatement, as Chris, 23, in just the past month has competed in California for the Fortinet Championship, and in Las Vegas for the Shriners Children’s Open. His son’s busy schedule certainly keeps Morten very busy and with less time to prepare for the event.
“My golf game really hasn't been that good so to come through and win is really nice. They're all equal, but this one has a very different feeling. It's special.”
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