Aldrich Potgieter’s Breakthrough Win at the 2025 Rocket Classic
All Square 3min read •
1 Jul 2025
Aldrich Potgieter delivered a breakthrough moment at the 2025 Rocket Classic, capping a wire-to-wire performance with an 18-foot birdie on the fifth playoff hole at Detroit Golf Club. The 20‑year‑old South African tied the tournament record at 22 under before edging out seasoned contenders Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk in an epic showdown. His dramatic final putt not only earned his maiden PGA Tour win but also etched his name into history as the youngest South African champion on the circuit.
Aldrich Potgieter’s setup played a key role in his victory, blending power and precision with Titleist and Ping equipment. Anchored by a Titleist GT2 driver (9°, Fujikura Ventus Black 8‑X) and a Ping G440 Max 3‑wood, he leveraged his prodigious 326+ yard drives to dominate the field. For iron shots, he mixed Titleist T250 (2‑iron), T150 (4‑5 irons) and T100 (6‑9 irons), outfitted with KBS and MMT shafts for a balanced feel and control off the turf. On the greens, a Scotty Cameron prototype trusted judiciously closed out the playoff.
Tournament highlights included a spectacular opening round 62 — shattering the prior course record — followed by consistent scoring (70‑65‑69) to maintain his lead across all 72 regulation holes. His final‑round 69 held off rivals like Greyserman and Kirk (both at 22 under), forcing a playoff that stretched through five holes under mounting pressure. When it counted most, Potgieter drilled that clutch birdie putt on the par‑3 15th, sealing the win.
This victory marks a major milestone in a rapidly rising career. After a stellar amateur run — including winning the Amateur Championship and becoming the youngest Korn Ferry Tour winner in history — Aldrich Potgieter earned his PGA Tour card and made an instant impact in just his 20th start. Now with full Tour status, a move into the top 40 in the FedEx Cup, and invitations to multiple majors secured, the sky seems to be the limit for this powerful, poised phenom.
