20âyearâold Aldrich Potgieter conjured his first PGA Tour win in some style. Tied at 22âunder after 72 holes, he then sealed the deal in a five-hole playoff, sinking an 18âfoot birdie on the final extra hole to beat MaxâŻGreyserman. From 62 on Thursday to playoff hero on Sunday, that’s a tour dĂ©but that will live long in the memory.
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đ Aldrich Potgieterâs Epic Week
Champion at 20: Potgieter sealed his first PGA Tour title by outlasting Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk in a dramatic five-hole playoff, draining an 18-foot birdie on the final hole.
Historically young: He becomes the youngest South African ever to win on tour and the seventh-youngest overall since 1983.
Course-record hero: Blazed the field with a 10-under 62 on Thursday, surpassing the previous record tied seconds earlier by Kevin Roy
đ So Just Who Is Aldrich Potgieter?
Born: 13 September 2004, Pretoria, raised in Mossel Bay, later moved to Australia.
Amateur hero: Won the 2022 Amateur Championship at just 17; represented SA at the Masters and U.S. Open.
Pro rise: Turned pro mid-2023. Became the youngest-ever Korn Ferry Tour winner at 19 (Bahamas Great Abaco Classic) .
Bomb off the tee: Leads the PGA Tour in 2025 average driving at ~326 yards, topping 337âŻyds in Detroit; ball speeds just shy of 200âŻmph.
Fearless and early icon: In just 20 starts, heâs tied the youngest-win charts with legends like Rory and Seve. Heâs a blend of old-school bomb-and-gouge with modern polish.
đŻ CourseâRecord Chaos on Thursday & Friday
Potgieter kicked things off with a 10âunder 62, smashing the existing course record.
Kevin Roy also came in with a 62 minutes later, so double drama to start the week.
Jake Knapp took the baton Friday, carding an 11âunder 61 to set a new course record and blast into contention.
It was like a worldârecord party and every card got invited.
âł Drama on the Cut Line
Michael Kimâs threeâputt bogey on the 9th dropped the cut to â6 and just squeaked Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, Zach Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, and Akshay Bhatia into the weekend. Meanwhile, big names like Wyndham Clark, Rickie Fowler, Tom Kim, and Cam Davis (last yearâs champ) bit the bullet and packed their bags early.
đ„ Honourable Mentions
Michael Thorbjornsen & Jake Knapp: Both Tâ4 at 21âunder. Knappâs course record Friday and Thorbjornsenâs solid form allâweek deserve credit.
Nico Echavarria & Jackson Suber: Tâ6 at 20âunder. Quiet weeks as no-one will be talking about them (except us, seemingly), but very effective ones.
đ± BangâAverage Moment of the Week
The CutâLine Club â Michael Kimâs threeâputt meltdown and the avalanche of bigâname casualties were peak weekend chaos. Ryder Cup captain, ex-captain, rising stars… all riding the razorâthin edge of the cut. By one swing, one hole, one stroke⊠drama served daily in Detroit .
đź What It Means
Potgieter instantly joins the Rookie of the Year chatter, all with that playoff steely nerve.
Big-name buster: He faces elite fields now so let’s see how he handles the pressure.
Gear talk: Kids aspire to big drives. Potgieter is delivering greatness already. This boy is looooong.
BradleyâŻ&âŻCantlay scraped through, so heads up for another weekend charge.
High scores, low margins, shattered expectations. This oneâs going to linger in golfâs highlight reels.
