Aldrich Potgieter makes 2 eagles, fires 67 in first round of 2025 John Deere Classic
After winning last week's Rocket Classic in a marathon playoff, the 20-year-old South African shot 4-under 67 in Thursday's opening round of the 2025 John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run.
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It wasn't exactly a conventional 4-under round, either. Potgieter made two eagles, two birdies, and two bogeys.
The first eagle came on the par-5 10th when he hit the green in two shots and rolled in a 39-foot putt for a three. Four holes later, Potgieter sunk a pitch shot from the penalty area next to the green on the par-4 14th.
"My drive on the short par-4 was probably not the best out of the day. Luckily [it] hit a little spinny. I thought it was going to get close to the bush and got pretty close. It was an easy chip. A lot of green to work with. Happy to see that one go in."
The PGA Tour reported that there were 33 eagles in the first round, the most one round at TPC Deere Run since 2000.
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The afternoon groups in Thursday's first round didn't fare as well as those who played in the morning, when Doug Ghim shot 9-under 62 to take the lead while Max Homa and Austin Eckroat each shot 63.
"I heard the greens are getting a little bit firmer this year, so to see the low scores coming in this morning I thought, 'Okay, we can kind of just get a repeat of last week. Go out, shoot a really good score,'" said Potgieter.
The afternoon groups also dealt with a tricky wind and scorching hot conditions, with temperatures in the mid-90s and the heat index nearing 100.
"Wind was kind of all over the place," Potgieter said. "Couldn't make up our minds if it was being constant with what it was showing on the website or online... It was tough to get into a groove where you can trust the wind. I think some holes on the back nine opened up a little bit so you kind of are not protected by trees so you can feel what it's doing and you can trust it a little bit more."
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The unrelenting sun was enough for Potgieter to plan a change in outfit, too.
Aldrich Potgieter on the 12th green during the first round of the 2025 John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run.
"I didn't know if I was going to be tired coming into the this last little stretch. With the heat we had today, probably made a mistake wearing black and dark red. Won't be doing that tomorrow," he said.
But the heat isn't the only reason he's a bit tired. Potgieter's week has been a whirlwind. It took five extra holes for him to come out victorious in a playoff against Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk in Detroit on Sunday.
"I mean, I can't stop smiling when people talk about it, so that's a good thing. The big thing is coming off the win, I've never played a tournament after I won such a big event, so I really didn't know how today was going go. Quite happy how I did and how I handled it.
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Potgieter will enter the second round five shots off the lead. He's set to tee off Friday at 8:40 a.m. ET alongside Michael Thobjornsen (1 under) and Ben Griffin (even).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: John Deere Classic 2025: Aldrich Potgieter makes 2 eagles in first round
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