20‑year‑old Aldrich Potgieter conjured his first PGA Tour win in some style. Tied at 22‑under after 72 holes, he then sealed the deal in a five-hole playoff, sinking an 18‑foot birdie on the final extra hole to beat Max Greyserman. From 62 on Thursday to playoff hero on Sunday, that’s a tour début that will live long in the memory.
🏆 Aldrich Potgieter’s 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
🔎 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 337 yds in Detroit; ball speeds just shy of 200 mph.
Fearless and early icon: In just 20 starts, he’s tied the youngest-win charts with legends like Rory and Seve. He’s a blend of old-school bomb-and-gouge with modern polish.
🎯 Course‑Record Chaos on Thursday & Friday
Potgieter kicked things off with a 10‑under 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 11‑under 61 to set a new course record and blast into contention.
It was like a world‑record party and every card got invited.
⛳ Drama on the Cut Line
Michael Kim’s three‑putt bogey on the 9th dropped the cut to ‑6 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 year’s champ) bit the bullet and packed their bags early.
🥈 Honourable Mentions
Michael Thorbjornsen & Jake Knapp: Both T‑4 at 21‑under. Knapp’s course record Friday and Thorbjornsen’s solid form all‑week deserve credit.
Nico Echavarria & Jackson Suber: T‑6 at 20‑under. Quiet weeks as no-one will be talking about them (except us, seemingly), but very effective ones.
😱 Bang‑Average Moment of the Week
The Cut‑Line Club – Michael Kim’s three‑putt meltdown and the avalanche of big‑name casualties were peak weekend chaos. Ryder Cup captain, ex-captain, rising stars… all riding the razor‑thin edge of the cut. By one swing, one hole, one stroke… drama served daily in Detroit .
🔮 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.
Bradley & Cantlay scraped through, so heads up for another weekend charge.
High scores, low margins, shattered expectations. This one’s going to linger in golf’s highlight reels.
