Potgieter's first PGA Tour win 'a grind'
Aldrich Potgieter's Rocket Classic was "a dream come true," for him and his father, Heinrich.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rocket Classic 2025 prize money: Full payout from $9.6 million purse
Aldrich Potgieter defeated Max Greyserman on the fifth playoff hole to win the Rocket Classic. The 20-year-old South African earned $1,728,000 while Greyserman collected $854,400, the same as Chris Kirk, who was the first player out of the three-man playoff when he bogeyed the second extra hole. Advertisement Here's how the $9.6 million purse was paid out Sunday at Detroit Golf Club.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter, youngest player on Tour, sinks long birdie putt on 5th playoff hole to secure his first PGA Tour win at Rocket Classic
Aldrich Potgieter, the youngest player on the PGA Tour, picked up his first Tour victory Sunday at 20 years old in dramatic fashion and secured a life-changing payday in the process. After 72 holes at the Rocket Classic, Potgieter remained tied with Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk atop the leaderboard at 22 under par. They didn't settle a winner until five more holes were played. Advertisement The threesome each played the par-4 18th to par on the first hole of the sudden-death playoff. Kirk bowed out with a bogey the par-3 15th as Greyserman and Potgieter parred. Greyserman and Potgieter then parred the par-4 16th before posting matching birdies on the par-5 14th. Then they returned to the 158-yard 15th, the shortest hole on the North Course course at the Detroit Golf Club. Potgieter hit a 9-iron on the green, roughly 18 feet from the hole. Greyserman also hit 9-iron onto the green that stopped about 10 feet behind Potgieter's ball. Greyserman putted first, and his ball rolled just past the left side of the hole. Potgieter took advantage of watching Greyserman's putt and the opportunity. His putt was pure from contact and rolled straight into the center of the hole. "I finally got one to the hole," Potgieter told CBS of a day in which he left multiple putts short. "I just saw the ball roll over end over end and I just knew that it was gonna go in." Advertisement Potgieter entered Sunday with a two-stroke lead over the field while playing in the final group with Greyserman. Both Greyserman and Kirk caught up with final rounds of 5-under 67. Potgieter shot a 69, but ultimately prevailed in the playoff holes. The putt secured Potgieter's first PGA victory and a $1.728 million payday that was more than double Greyserman's $854,200 payout for finishing in a second-place tie. The payout added a significant boost to Potgieter's career PGA Tour earnings, which stood at $1.98 million prior to his victory on Sunday. The win marked the third top-10 finish for Potgieter and bested his previous best result of a second-place finish at the Mexico Open in February that paid him $763,000. Potgieter appears to be a rising star in the sport after turning professional at age 18 in 2023. He became the youngest Korn Ferry Tour winner last year at age 19 when he claimed victory at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic. This year, he leads the Tour in average driving distance at 326.6 yards, ahead of No. 2 Rory McIlroy's 320 yards. Advertisement The victory this week also put him in some rare company. A South Africa native, Potgieter is just the fifth player not from the United States to secure his first PGA Tour victory before turning 21 in the last 100 years. Rory McIlroy, Seve Ballesteros, Joaquin Niemann and Tom Kim are the others.
CBS News
4 hours ago
- CBS News
Potgieter wins Rocket Classic on 5th playoff hole, outlasting Greyserman and Kirk
Aldrich Potgieter ended the protracted Rocket Classic, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole to outlast Max Greyserman for his first PGA Tour title on Sunday. "I finally got one to the hole," Potgieter said after missed opportunities on the green by three players led to the longest playoff of the season on the tour. He celebrated by embracing his caddie and shaking hands with Greyserman and his caddie before giving his father, Heinrich, a hug. The 20-year-old Potgieter is the youngest player on the tour and its biggest hitter, averaging 326-plus yards off the tee. He became the ninth player to win for the first time this season. Potgieter was born in South Africa, moved to Australia when he was 8, and returned to South Africa at age 17 because the COVID-19 pandemic limited his opportunities to compete. "We had to give up a lot, moving to Australia, moving back," he said. "Emigrating is definitely not the easiest thing. Coming alone at the start of my career to the States and giving it a grind, and having my dad here has helped so much." Potgieter won the British Amateur at the age of 17 and became the youngest Korn Ferry Tour winner last year, paving the way for him to become the second-youngest player to earn a PGA Tour card through the minor league just after his 20th birthday. The youngest was Jason Day, who was 19 in 2007. Chris Kirk was eliminated after missing a 4-foot putt on the second playoff hole, after pushing a 9-foot putt past the cup on the first extra hole with a chance to win. Greyserman and Potgieter each had opportunities to win and end it on the 72nd hole at Detroit Golf Club, but couldn't convert on birdie opportunities to break a tie at 22 under with Kirk. "This one's going to sting for a little bit," Greyserman said. Potgieter, two strokes ahead entering the round, closed with a 3-under 69, and Greyserman and Kirk each shot 67. Greyserman missed a 12-foot putt, and Potgieter came up short on an uphill, 42-foot putt. That set up Kirk with an opportunity to win it, but he couldn't take advantage. After Greyserman two-putted from 39 feet for par and Potgieter did the same from 20 feet, Kirk had a chance to win it with a 9-foot putt, only to push it to the right of the cup to extend the playoff. The trio then went to the par-3, 158-yard 15th, and Greyserman was the only one who was accurate off the tee and didn't take advantage. The trend continued on the par-4 16th, where both Greyserman and Potgieter missed 16-foot putts with a chance to win. At the par-5 14th, Greyserman hit his drive 361 yards — his longest of the week — and was just 2 yards behind Potgieter's blast. Potgieter hit his approach from 195 yards to 19 feet, and he pulled his putt. Greyserman two-putted from 29 feet for birdie. Back at No. 15 for a second time in the playoff, Greyserman two-putted from 34 feet, and then Potgieter finally ended it. "Just wasn't my time," said Greyserman, who finished second for the fourth time after coming up short for his first PGA Tour victory. Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Jake Knapp (68) finished a stroke out of the playoff. Collin Morikawa, meanwhile, is still waiting to end his drought. He shot a 68 to finish 19 under and in an eighth-place tie. The two-time major winner, who was the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 5 in the world, has not won the PGA Tour since October 2023 at the Zozo Championship in Japan. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who rose to No. 7 in the world after winning the Travelers Championship last week, closed with 67 to tie for 41st at 12 under.
