It took five extra holes Sunday for Aldrich Potgieter to win the Rocket Classic but that is about the only thing that has taken longer than normal for the 20-year-old South African.
By beating Max Greyserman with a birdie to end their 23-hole Sunday after Chris Kirk was eliminated on the second extra hole, Potgieter joined the elite class of Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim, Joaquin Niemann and Seve Ballesteros as the only international players to win on the PGA Tour before their 21st birthday.
If Potgieter’s name is unfamiliar, it won’t be for long. He lost a playoff to Brian Campbell in the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld in February, he leads the PGA Tour in driving distance and he’s made a habit of winning early.
Potgieter won the 2022 British Amateur as a 17-year-old and last year he became the youngest winner in Korn Ferry Tour history when he won the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic as a 19-year-old. He is the youngest player on the PGA Tour and became the youngest South African winner on the tour.
After going back and forth with Greyserman in the playoff, Potgieter ended it by making a 17-foot birdie putt on the par-3 15th hole.
“It was definitely a tough day. The start didn’t go my way, I struggled to make putts, left a lot short,” said Potgieter, who closed with a 3-under-par 69 to finish tied with Greysermann and Kirk at 22-under-par 266.
“Finally got one to the hole, and I just saw the ball roll end over end and I knew it was going to go in.”
Greyserman finished second three times in 2024 but did not have a top-10 finish this season entering the Rocket Classic. He birdied 16 and 17 in regulation to get into the playoff.
“Unfortunately, didn’t get the job done. Thought I hit a lot of good shots down the stretch. Very pleased with how I handled myself down the stretch,” Greyserman said.
“It’s getting late in the day, greens are getting crusty, they’re redoing the course, putts just didn’t drop. I hit a lot of good putts. This one’s going to sting for a little bit, but I'll get back to work in two weeks.”
Kirk had a chance to win on the first extra hole but missed a 12-foot birdie putt. One hole later, he dropped out of the playoff after three-putting the second extra hole as he chased his seventh career tour victory.
“Obviously, just really disappointed right now, but felt like I played great today. I’m happy with the way I played,” Kirk said.
“It’s a shame, that first playoff hole, hit just three perfect shots and misread that putt a little bit. That’s the way it goes sometimes unfortunately.”
Ron Green Jr.