Pair of Surprising PGA Tour Pros Set Course Record at Rocket Classic

Newsweek

2 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The PGA Tour shifted from the pressure-packed Travelers Championship last week to the Rocket Classic in Detroit this week. And in the opening round itself, the golf world witnessed not only low scores but some record-breaking performances.
In just 18 minutes apart from each other, two PGA Tour professionals, Kevin Roy and Aldrich Potgieter, torched Detroit Golf Club with matching 10-under 62s, setting a new 18-hole course record.
Rocket Classic 2025: Kevin Roy and Aldrich Potgieter carded matching 10-under 62s, just 8 minutes apart, at the 18-hole scoring record at Detroit Golf Club. (Image Collage | Getty images)
Rocket Classic 2025: Kevin Roy and Aldrich Potgieter carded matching 10-under 62s, just 8 minutes apart, at the 18-hole scoring record at Detroit Golf Club. (Image Collage | Getty images)
Getty Images
Roy, 35, and Potgieter, 20, couldn't be more different in age or experience, but they now share a similar slice of memory from the Rocket Classic.
Roy began on the front nine and closed with an eagle-birdie finish, including a chip-in from 30 feet on the par-5 17th.
"I was shocked my 5-wood went that far," Roy said. "I had 279 pin, I don't hit a 5-wood that far but maybe a little adrenaline or something going on. Luckily just trickled off the back... rolled in like a two-footer. Certainly a bonus."
It's not Roy's first 62 this season, he also opened with the same number at the Puerto Rico Open. But this one, he said, meant more.
"This is a much harder golf course... Puerto Rico's a lot more wedges. This one, you're going to have more 9, 8, 7, 6-irons into some holes. This one definitely I'll put on top of Puerto Rico for sure."
A pair of course record 62s, carded 8 minutes apart (!)
Aldrich Potgieter and Kevin Roy share the lead @RocketClassic. pic.twitter.com/EQqbctmSKj — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 26, 2025
Potgieter, on the other hand, scorched the course with a 7-under 29 going out. He nearly stole the outright lead on his final hole, but his 12-foot birdie putt on No. 9 grazed the edge.
"I did, I started walking after it," he said after his round. "But it was a good putt, I'm happy with it... just a little unfortunate but I'll take the 62 still."
This marks Potgieter's first career 18-hole lead/co-lead in just his 20th PGA Tour start. He's already had a breakout season, with a playoff loss at the Mexico Open and a T6 at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Interestingly, he currently leads the Tour in driving distance at 326.6 yards.
He admitted he was amazed to see Roy's name at 10-under. "I was standing on the last hole and I looked at the leaderboard and saw someone else at 10, so I was real eager to make that putt on the last."
"But it's impressive... I saw [Min Woo Lee's] score at 9 under so I knew there were some opportunities out there," he stated.
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 12: Min Woo Lee of Australia looks on as he walks the fifth hole during the third round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 12,...
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 12: Min Woo Lee of Australia looks on as he walks the fifth hole during the third round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 12, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia. More
Photo byThe previous 18-hole scoring record at Detroit Golf Club was 63, tied 10 times since the tournament's inception in 2019.
That mark was matched earlier in the day by Min Woo Lee, Mark Hubbard, and Max Greyserman, before Roy and Potgieter rewrote the number.
Lee, who won the Texas Children's Houston Open in March, carded 10 birdies in his round of 63. Hubbard and Greyserman also posted bogey-free rounds to stay within striking distance.
In round 2, Roy and Potgieter will tee off early on Friday, with Roy scheduled for 6:45 a.m. ET and Potgieter at 6:56 a.m. ET.
More Golf: Min Woo Lee Looks for Sister's Footsteps, Goes Nuclear at Rocket Classic