Gotterup Makes Presidents Cup Debut; Asselta Named to Junior Team
Photo Courtesy of Kathryn Riley/USGA
Chris Gotterup will make his Presidents Cup debut while Rory Asselta represents the United States in the Junior Presidents Cup, putting two generations of New Jersey golf on the international stage at Medinah.
MEDINAH, Ill. - For one week in September, a small piece of New Jersey will travel more than 700 miles west.
The destination is Medinah Country Club, right outside of Chicago, where two players raised in the Garden State will represent the United States on one of golf's biggest stages.
They will arrive at considerably different points in their careers.
Rory Asselta is still a junior golfer, a Ramsey native in the Class of 2028 who has already established himself among the country's best players his age.
Chris Gotterup, 27, is a five-time PGA TOUR winner from Little Silver who has spent the past several years climbing from promising young professional to one of the world's top players.
This September, their paths converge at Medinah.
Asselta was selected to the 12-player United States Team for the 2026 Junior Presidents Cup, while Gotterup was one of six captain's picks made by U.S. Presidents Cup Captain Brandt Snedeker.
For Gotterup, it will be his first appearance in the Presidents Cup.
And together, their selections give New Jersey golf something unusual: two of its own wearing the red, white and blue at the same venue, in the same week, at two different levels of the game.
Gotterup's Next Step
For Gotterup, Medinah feels like the culmination of a rise that has accelerated dramatically over the past two seasons.
The Little Silver native entered 2026 already a three-time PGA TOUR winner following victories at the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic and 2025 Genesis Scottish Open. Then came a season that transformed his résumé.
Gotterup opened the year by winning the Sony Open in Hawaii, closing with a 64 to finish at 16-under and secure his third PGA TOUR victory.
Three weeks later, he did it again.
At the WM Phoenix Open, Gotterup entered the final round four shots behind Hideki Matsuyama before producing a 7-under 64. He birdied five of his final six holes and then defeated Matsuyama with a 27-foot birdie on the first playoff hole.
By then, Gotterup had climbed to No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The wins kept coming.
In July, Gotterup returned to TPC Deere Run for the John Deere Classic and began the final round five shots behind the lead. He played his first seven holes in 5-under and eventually signed for a bogey-free 9-under 62, winning by one stroke.
His younger brother, Patrick, was on the bag.
The victory was Gotterup's fifth on the PGA TOUR and his third of 2026. He became just the fifth player since 2000 to collect five TOUR victories within his first 85 starts, joining Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Jordan Spieth.
He didn't slow down when the postseason arrived, either. Gotterup finished tied for fourth at both the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship.
When automatic qualifying for the Presidents Cup concluded, Gotterup sat seventh in the U.S. standings — one position outside the six automatic spots.
Snedeker didn't leave him waiting long.
On Sept. 1, Gotterup was announced alongside Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Jacob Bridgeman and Jackson Koivun as the captain's selections that completed the American roster.
"I have been watching Chris closely all season and it's an understatement to say he has worked incredibly hard for this opportunity," Snedeker said when announcing the selection. "His performance on the course speaks for itself in results but further than that, he is fearless."
Gotterup will be one of three Presidents Cup rookies on the American side, joining Bridgeman and Koivun.
It will also mark another step in a career that remains closely tied to New Jersey.
Long before the PGA TOUR victories and international team selection, Gotterup grew up in Little Silver and developed his game at Rumson Country Club. He became one of the state's best amateurs and won the 2019 New Jersey Open before eventually turning professional.
Now, seven years after that New Jersey Open victory, he will represent his country for the first time at Medinah.
Asselta's Turn
Before Gotterup tees it up on Medinah's famed Course No. 3, another New Jersey golfer will have his own opportunity to wear U.S. colors.
Asselta earned his spot on the Junior Presidents Cup team through the Rolex AJGA Rankings and enters Medinah ranked among the top junior players in the country.
His selection follows a breakout stretch in 2026.
Asselta dominated the New Jersey high school season at St. Joseph Regional in Montvale, capturing both individual and team honors and earning NJSIAA Golfer of the Year recognition. Through his first two high school seasons, Asselta accumulated 11 victories, including titles at the Bergen County Tournament, Non-Public North Sectional and Tournament of Champions.
His success quickly extended beyond New Jersey.
In June, Asselta won the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic, an AJGA Invitational played in a match-play format. Despite entering the week having never played competitive match play, Asselta went undefeated.
He advanced through pool play and then defeated Drake Harvey, 3 and 2, in the quarterfinals before a 4-and-3 semifinal victory over Noah MacLauchlan sent him into the championship match.
"Being from New Jersey and living close to the area, this is really special," Asselta said during the event.
The victory proved to be part of a larger summer surge.
Asselta finished tied for eighth at the Wyndham Invitational and tied for fourth at the Boys Junior PGA Championship. Those results helped push the Ramsey native into position to earn a place on U.S. Captain Matt Kuchar's Junior Presidents Cup team.
Asselta, who has verbally committed to Auburn University, was officially among the first 11 Americans named to the team.
He is the lone New Jersey player on the U.S. roster.
How to Follow
Follow Asselta and the U.S. Team at the Junior Presidents Cup, Sept. 19-20, with scoring and updates available at PresidentsCup.com.
Gotterup and the U.S. Team begin Presidents Cup competition Sept. 24. Live coverage will air on Golf Channel Thursday and Friday before shifting to Golf Channel and NBC on Saturday and NBC on Sunday. Weekend coverage will also stream on Peacock. Fans can follow live scoring and additional coverage throughout the week at PresidentsCup.com.
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