South Africa's Potgieter grabs PGA Detroit lead
Aldrich Potgieter of South Africa grabbed the lead after the third round of the US PGA Tour Rocket Classic (Gregory Shamus)
South Africa's 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter birdied six of the first eight holes and seized a two-stroke lead after after Saturday's third round of the US PGA Tour's Rocket Classic.
Potgieter, seeking his first PGA title in only his 20th tour start, reeled off five birdies in a row on the way to firing a bogey-free seven-under par 65 to stand on 19-under 197 after 54 holes at Detroit Golf Club.
Advertisement
"Being in contention is great," Potgieter said. "We're looking forward to tomorrow and maybe trying to just keep the ball in front, what we did today, hit a little bit more fairways and greens and if that putter just stays hot it will be good."
Americans Max Greyserman, Chris Kirk, Andrew Putnam, Jake Knapp and Mark Hubbard shared second on 199 with South African Thriston Lawrence and Americans Michael Thorbjornsen and Jackson Suber on 200.
"I just played really solid. Hit it really good. Gave myself a lot of chances," Knapp said. "With how bunched as this leaderboard is... you have to try to make as many birdies as you can."
Potgieter, who managed his best PGA finish with a Mexico Open playoff loss to American Brian Campbell in February, began the day two adrift in a shootout.
Advertisement
The last group teed off with seven players sharing the lead on 14-under and 12 more only one stroke adrift.
Potgieter took command early, blasting out of a bunker from 35 feet for birdie at the first then starting his birdie run with a putt from just inside eight feet at the fourth.
He followed with a 33-foot birdie putt at the par-three fifth, dropped his approach inches from the hole at six to set up a tap-in birdie, sank an eight-foot birdie putt at the par-five seventh and made an 11-foot birdie putt at the eighth to reach 18-under with a three-stroke lead.
Suber made back-to-back birdies at the ninth and 10th to reach 17-under and climb within one of the lead, but he fell back with a bogey at 12.
Advertisement
Potgieter, meanwhile, sank a birdie putt from just outside six feet at 13 to reach 19-under and restore a three-stroke edge.
Knapp, who broke Potgieter's day-old course record of 62 with a 61 on Thursday, birdied the last three holes to shoot 66 and swipe a share of second.
"I definitely thought I could get that course record back today with that six-under front nine," Potgieter said. "I was definitely trying to chase that course record again."
Davis Thompson's 66 to finish on 202 was the first PGA round since 2020 to feature three front-nine eagles. He made three in the first eight, starting with an 80-yard hole-out from the fairway at the opening hole.
Advertisement
He followed with a 37-foot eagle putt at the par-five seventh and drove the green at the par-four eighth to set up a seven-foot eagle putt.
"I don't think I've ever had that," Thompson said. "I've had three eagles in a round before, but I haven't had it all in nine holes."
js/bb
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A's catcher Shea Langeliers could be activated Monday
Athletics' Shea Langeliers (23) is looked at by a trainer and manager Mark Kotsay, right, before he was taken out of the game after taking a swing and grabbing his side during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, June 5, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall) Athletics' Shea Langeliers (23) grabs at his side after being removed from the game after taking a swing against the Minnesota Twins during the sixth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 5, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall) Athletics' Shea Langeliers, right, leaves the game and walks back to the dugout with a trainer after taking a swing and grabbing his side during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Thursday, June 5, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall) Athletics' Shea Langeliers, right, leaves the game and walks back to the dugout with a trainer after taking a swing and grabbing his side during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Thursday, June 5, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall) Athletics' Shea Langeliers (23) is looked at by a trainer and manager Mark Kotsay, right, before he was taken out of the game after taking a swing and grabbing his side during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, June 5, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall) Athletics' Shea Langeliers (23) grabs at his side after being removed from the game after taking a swing against the Minnesota Twins during the sixth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 5, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall) Athletics' Shea Langeliers, right, leaves the game and walks back to the dugout with a trainer after taking a swing and grabbing his side during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Thursday, June 5, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall) NEW YORK (AP) — Catcher Shea Langeliers could be activated by the Athletics on Monday after missing 3 1/2 weeks with a strained left oblique. 'I think we're going to get a bat back tomorrow,' manager Mark Kotsay said Sunday. 'Shea Langeliers will rejoin us in Tampa.' Advertisement Langeliers was hurt while fouling off a pitch against Minnesota's Kody Funderburk during a June 5 game. Langeliers started a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday and was 8 for 13 with one homer and four RBIs in three games entering Sunday. He is batting .237 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs for the A's, but hit .172 over his 18 previous games before getting hurt. Langeliers batted .241 after the All-Star break last year. 'He's a big part of that group that had that success in the second half," Kotsay said. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias taken off the field on cart with left leg injury
Cleveland Guardians' Gabriel Arias prepares to field a ground ball by St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long) CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias was taken off the field on a cart after sustaining a left lower leg injury in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Arias went deep into the hole to field a grounder hit by Masyn Winn with one out, but caught his left spike on the grass and awkwardly rolled his ankle. The ball wound up in left field for a single. Advertisement The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder immediately grabbed his lower leg and remained prone on the field for several minutes. He was fitted with an immobilizer before being lifted onto the medical cart that drove him off the field. The Guardians will provide details about his injury once Arias undergoes an examination. Arias is batting .231 with six homers and 31 RBIs in 77 games. This is the 25-year-old Venezuelan's first full season as a starter. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
I Can't Get Enough Of Tom Cruise Honoring Days Of Thunder As Jerry Bruckheimer's New Racing Movie Premieres
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. F1 finally roared into theaters this weekend, and the Joseph Kosinski-helmed movie features high-octane action and a charismatic performance from lead actor Brad Pitt. Wildly enough, this 2025 movie schedule blockbuster opened on the exact same day that Tom Cruise's Days of Thunder hit cinemas decades ago. The two films also have something else in common (other than the fact that they're about racing). Both are produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and I'm loving that Cruise honored his colleague and both films. Days of Thunder opened in 1990, which means we've just hit its 35th anniversary. To this day, the sports movie remains one of the signature titles in Tom Cruise's filmography, and he seems to have much affection for it. Such a notion was evidenced by the fact that Cruise took to Instagram on June 27 to share some cool BTS photos from his time making the classic film. The veteran actor also penned a warm tribute in which he reflected on production and shouted out the F1 team: I always love the fun and adrenaline of a racing film. Today marks two racing milestones for my friend Jerry Bruckheimer, the release of F1 and the 35 year anniversary to the day of our collaboration with the great Tony Scott on Days of Thunder. Incredible to look back on this film today, and congratulations to Jerry, Brad, Joe and the whole F1 team on their release! At the time of its release, Tony Scott's beloved racing film received mixed reviews. However, many have seemingly warmed up to it in the years since it hit theaters. The late Scott made great use of special effects in order to provide an exciting depiction of NASCAR racing. As a film buff, I love seeing the behind-the-scenes photos that Tom Cruise dropped on social media. The snapshot with the camera rig on the car, in particular, is a sweet example of how Scott was trying to push the boundaries of filmmaking at that point. More on Days of Thunder I Recently Watched Days Of Thunder For The First Time, And I Didn't Get Why Tom Cruise Would Choose It To Usher Him Into His Sequel Era – Until Now Likewise, Joseph Kosinski, Jerry Bruckheimer and Brad Pitt were also trying to push technical-based boundaries with their own racing movie. Formula 1 fans could certainly argue that F1 isn't always realistic, even if the racing sequences are breathtaking. However, I'd argue that there are still a lot of cool filmmaking techniques at play, which makes the production worthy of at least some admiration. On that note, F1 received praise from some critics in that regard. Jerry Bruckheimer should be proud, considering what he and his colleagues have accomplished and, per reports, he's not done with the world of racing just yet. A Days of Thunder sequel is reportedly in the works, and it's already sparking interest from NASCAR veterans. Details on the project are scarce at the moment, but sources indicate that Tom Cruise is down to reprise his role as Cole Trickle. Paramount Plus: from $7.99 a month/$79.99 a yearTom Cruise fans should hit up Paramount+ for Days of Thunder, Top Gun and the star's other great movies. Grab the Essential plan or go the ad-free route. A larger content catalog is available with Showtime through the Premium plan, which starts from $12.99 a month. Also, get 12 months for the price of 10 using the annual Deal I look forward to seeing what happens on that front, and I'm wondering how the team can possibly match or top what's presented in Joseph Kosinski's latest flick. Of course, unlike a race, this doesn't seem to be a competition. Tom Cruise is clearly excited for the release of this latest racecar movie as he is passionate about the flick he made over 30 years ago. Check out F1, which is playing in theaters nationwide now! Also, those who'd like to stream Days of Thunder can do so using a Paramount+ subscription.
