Tag: Aldrich Potgieter

19-year-old Aldrich Potgieter shoots second sub-60 score in as many days on Korn Ferry Tour

Potgieter is the youngest player to shoot 59 in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

The kids are good.

A day after Cristobal Del Solar became the first golfer to shoot 57 in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event, a 19-year-old has also shot a sub-60 round on the same course.

Adrich Potgieter, who won the Korn Ferry Tour’s Bahamas Great Abaco Classic two weeks ago, has now shot the 10th sub-60 round in Korn Ferry Tour history with his 11-under 59 during the second round of the Astara Golf Championship at the Pacos Course at Country Club de Bogata in Colombia.

Potgieter is the youngest player to shoot 59 in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

“I had to play well, I knew I had to play well to be able to shoot this low,” Potgieter said. “It was just kind of the confidence to hit the ball, get it close, make putts. Not many mistakes, I think that was a big thing, trying to eliminate the mistakes and just try to keep the ball in play. There’s not much danger on the short course, so just try to shoot under the 60s, try to get as low as I can, but definitely looking at that.”

The Pacos Course is the shortest on the Korn Ferry Tour, playing at 6,254 yards, as well as being nearly 9,000 feet above sea level. However, narrow fairways and tricky greens always create challenges for players, and there had never been a sub-60 score until Thursday.

And now, for the second straight day, a player has recorded a sub-60 round.

Potgieter went out in 7-under 28, playing the back nine at the Pacos Course. Then on the front, he added five more birdies, including three in a row on his final three holes, to shoot 59.

Ten birdies, one eagle and even a bogey, but it was enough to record the 12th sub-60 score in Korn Ferry Tour history. It’s also the first time there has been two sub-60 scores at one PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

Potgieter sits at 16-under 125 after two rounds in Colombia, one shot in front of Del Solar, who followed up his record-setting performance with a 2-under 69 on the Lagos Course.

“I was kind of trying to get to that 57, so I was trying to push myself, but then kind of realized that we’re still in a golf tournament, we’re not playing a fun round out here,” Potgieter said, “so I was kind of trying to concentrate when I made those last three birdies, which helped a lot.”

This weekend, play shifts to the Lagos Course for both rounds, a par-71 layout that measures 7,237 yards.

19-year-old Aldrich Potgieter becomes youngest winner on the Korn Ferry Tour

Golf is supposed to be difficult. But it’s seemingly not for these kids.

Golf is supposed to be difficult. But it’s seemingly not for these kids.

Three days after 20-year-old Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap won the PGA Tour’s American Express, 19-year-old Aldrich Potgieter became the youngest winner on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Potgieter won the 2024 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club at 10 under, two shots better than Quade Cummins and Kyle Westmoreland.

At 19 years, four months and 11 days, Potgieter slides Jason Day into the No. 2 spot on the list. Day was 19 years, seven months and 26 days old when he won the 2007 Legend Financial Group Classic.

Potgieter, the 2022 Amateur champ, is the fourth golfer still in his teens to win on the Korn Ferry Tour. Sungjae Im, Akshay Bhatia and Day are the others.

“I was just trying to make the cut… improve on the status. I didn’t expect this today,” Potgieter said. “I was looking at the leaderboard a couple times and just trying to move up, move up slowly and give myself some chances on the putting green. I felt really comfortable, gave myself those opportunities and holed some of them.”

2024 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic
Aldrich Potgieter hits a tee shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the 2024 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in the Bahamas. (Photo: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Potgieter, who turned professional last summer, started the final round five shots back of Westmoreland but birdied three of his first four holes to get started. A bogey on seven was followed by an eagle on eight. He then birdied four of his last six holes to shoot a 65.

“We saw Nick Dunlap won last week, and that was a reminder that it can be done,” he said.

This was the second event on the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2024 schedule. Each of the first two tournaments had a Sunday-to-Wednesday format. The circuit continues next week in Panama before heading to Colombia, Argentina and Chile.

The first U.S. event is April 4-7 in Savannah, Georgia.

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This teenager aced a 403-yard par 4 during a PGA Tour Monday qualifier

Bet he couldn’t do that again.

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It’s not every day you see golfers making holes-in-one at professional events. Even that’s difficult for the best players in the world.

It’s almost a guarantee you’ll never see them make one on a par 4.

Don’t tell Aldrich Potgieter that.

The teenager from South Africa who recently turned pro aced a par 4 on the 403-yard 17th hole during a Monday qualifier for the PGA Tour’s 2023 John Deere Classic at Pinnacle Country Club in Milan, Illinois. He didn’t see the ball go into the hole and had no idea it was in until his caddie in the fairway ahead of him started freaking out.

In the history of the PGA Tour, there has only been one ace recorded on a par 4: Andrew McGee at the 2001 Phoenix Open.

Potgieter, 18,  was 5 under in his final five holes on the back nine (his first side) and signed for a 6-under 66— but he missed getting into the field by one shot.

He made his professional debut two weeks ago at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Compliance Solutions Championship in Norman, Oklahoma, then played last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, where he missed the cut. He also made starts at the Masters and U.S. Open this year, making the cut at Los Angeles Country Club and finishing 64th.

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Meet the amateurs to make the cut at the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club

When the week started, more than 10 percent of the field was comprised of amateurs, and that number could’ve been higher.

When the week started, more than 10 percent of the 2023 U.S. Open field was comprised of amateurs, and that number could’ve been higher.

Sure, top-ranked Gordon Sargent is in the field, as well as No. 2 Michael Thorbjornsen and No. 9 Michael Brennan. In total, 19 amateurs teed it up the first two days at Los Angeles Country Club, but most of them are packing their bags after two days on the West Coast.

Only four amateurs earned weekend tee times and will vie for the low-amateur medal, which is awarded during Sunday’s trophy presentation at the conclusion of play.

Here’s a look at the amateurs who made the cut at the 2023 U.S. Open.

2023 Masters: Meet the 7 amateurs teeing it up at Augusta National

The amateur talent is deep.

When it comes to the seven amateurs teeing it up at Augusta National next week, there’s no shortage of star power.

There are numerous USGA champions and an NCAA champ. Winners of prestigious amateur events from around the world. For some, it’s their first time at the famed Masters tournament in what each hopes will be a long stretch of making the trek down Magnolia Lane every April.

The seven ams will compete for the title of low amateur. If they make the 36-hole cut, then they will battle for the Silver Cup. An amateur has never won the Masters, but the tournament has plenty of history involving ams, including the famed Crow’s Nest, the living space on the third floor of the Augusta National clubhouse, and the Monday night Amateur Dinner.

Here’s a look at the seven amateurs competing in the 2023 Masters.

Wire-to-wire winners: Anna Davis, Aldrich Potgieter dominate en route to 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley titles

Last year’s Junior Invitational featured a pair of playoffs. The theme of this year’s event was wire-to-wire winners.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — Last year the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley featured a pair of playoffs to decide the boys and girls titles. The theme of this year’s event was wire-to-wire winners.

Aldrich Potgieter and Anna Davis were out in front all week at the nation’s top junior tournament and will leave the pristine club among the South Carolina pines with the trophies and the event’s signature gold jackets. Each player held a five-shot lead entering Saturday’s final round and won in impressive fashion.

“I went into the week wanting to win, thinking I was gonna win,” said Davis after the final round. “I’ve always had high expectations for myself.”

Nika Ito, who finished solo second, holed out from the fairway for eagle on the 17th hole to put the pressure on Davis, who was keeping tabs on the leaderboard all afternoon.

“That’s my second time getting holed-out on having the lead, so I was used to it and thought, ‘Okay, it’s fine. It happens,'” said Davis. “When you’re in that position, you kind of have to expect that stuff to happen so it doesn’t catch you off guard.”

Davis responded by hitting a “pretty bad second shot” that narrowly avoided the water guarding the 17th green.

“I had room because I’m left-handed. If I was right-handed, I would have been standing in the water,” explained Davis. From there the rising star followed Ito’s lead and chipped in to stop the momentum swing.

Davis, an Auburn commit, turned 17 on Friday and celebrated her birthday by walking in the winning putt from just off the 18th green with some serious swagger to finish at 7 under for the tournament.

“Kind of a douche bag move,” she said with a chuckle after the round. “Right off the putter face I thought, ‘that has to be in,’ so I walked it in.”

Ito finished two shots back at 5 under, with Kiara Romero in third at even par after firing the day’s low round of 5-under 67.

Next up for Davis is her title defense in two weeks at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where she’ll enter with even more pressure and expectations after her win in 2022.

“I think it just it helps like knowing that I can play in this area,” Davis said of the momentum she’ll take to her ANWA title defense. “Augusta and Champions Retreat are very similar to this course. I think just being able to play this kind of golf, being comfortable and being familiar with the area is always very helpful. So I think that just adds on to my win last year.”

Potgieter, the defending British Amateur champion, made eight birdies to win by a whopping 10 shots to set a record for the largest margin of victory in tournament history. The South African fired rounds of 65-70-68 to finish at 13 under for the week. Lee Byungho and Aaron Pounds finished T-2 at 3 under, with Eric Lee in fourth at 1 under and Preston Stout in fifth at even par.

“Yeah, it was awesome week, I really enjoyed it,” Potgieter said of his Junior Invitational debut and win. “Today was good a round. I struggled for a stretch, the par-5 fourth I missed a five-footer or something for birdie and then missed one on five. So that was kind of a disappointing break, but I knew that the back nine had a lot of opportunities and still having to play three par fives, I was still confident enough to put a good score on the board.

“I always run back to what Tiger Woods said, you don’t come to a tournament not to win. I came to kind of prepare for the Masters and getting the win here just gives me more confidence going into that,” added Potgieter. “I think this golf course is pretty similar to Augusta National, so I’m taking this as a learning curve to that course and if I play like this week, I think I’ll do pretty good.”

Potgieter was pleasantly surprised that the rest of the boys field struggled to score while he was under par each day this week.

“Most of the guys were just kind of pissed at me because I was hitting it 50 yards passed everyone,” he jokingly said with a laugh, “so I guess that makes the golf course a little bit easier, carrying all the bunkers and getting in play still.”

As the British Amateur champion, Potgieter earned an spot in the field for the 2023 Masters and will join Davis at Augusta National in two weeks time.

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Anna Davis, Aldrich Potgieter lead at Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, where no lead is safe

The first-round leaders remain atop the leaderboard, but each has a few players within striking distance.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. – The players at the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley are treated like royalty the minute they step on the picturesque property tucked away behind the South Carolina pines. They also have 18 king and queen-sized challenges waiting for them as soon as they put a tee in the ground.

Known as one of, if not the best junior golf tournaments in the world, this year’s Junior Invitational – which boasts a field of the top girls and boys golfers from around the world – has been a survival of the fittest test this week, and Friday’s second round at Sage Valley Golf Club was no different. The winds were high, and for the second consecutive day, the scores were as well.

First-round leaders Anna Davis and Aldrich Potgieter remain atop the leaderboard, but each has a few players within striking distance entering the final round.

Davis looks to celebrate 17th birthday with win

Davis turned 17 on Friday and celebrated by taking a five-shot lead over the field to hold a commanding lead ahead of Saturday’s finale.

“It was kind of the same thing as yesterday, I hit just about every fairway and green and then one putt or two putt and then move on to the next hole,” said Davis, who was dissatisfied with her putting on Thursday despite taking the early lead with a 2-under 70. The defending Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion was one shot better on Friday with a 3-under 69. “I just started off a little better, I didn’t have as many three putts so I just had a better start to the round.”

Nika Ito is in solo second at even par, with Fiona Xu and Andrea Revuelta T-3 at 2 over. Kati Li and Bailey Shoemaker round out the top five at 3 over.

While you may think a five-to-eight-shot advantage may be insurmountable, don’t forget what happened last year at Sage Valley, where Shoemaker lost a seven-shot lead in the final round and wound up falling short to Amalie Leth-Nissen in a playoff.

“I love to come from behind, I think that’s the best place to be. Having a lead is pretty hard, especially having a two-day lead,” explained Shoemaker, a USC commit. “I know what happened to me last year, so I’d like to turn the tables and get my own little taste of it. So hopefully, hopefully, I can do a little bit like Amalie did to me last year.

“I’ve been thinking about Sage Valley for the last three months, just hoping to get my little taste of revenge. Hopefully,I can shoot something tomorrow and just post the score and give myself a chance.”

Can anyone catch Potgieter?

Over on the boys’ side, Potgieter has a five-shot lead of his own after following a Thursday 65 with a Friday 70 to sit at 9 under, but he’s not the only player to go low this week. Connor Williams, bound for Arizona State in the fall, fired a bogey-free 5-under 67 on Friday to clip Eduardo Derbez Torres (68) for the day’s low round.

“Honestly, the first few holes I was hitting it really good, gave myself chances. I had a rough stretch off the tee from Nos. 7-10, hit a really bad drive on 10 but got a good break from a kick back in the fairway,” Williams said of his round. “From there I locked in, took it low and made a good eagle on 15, hit a really good drive and only had a 7-iron in, so that helped a lot. Closed it out well.

“You gotta give every shot your full attention because you know the next one can be just as hard,” added Williams, who has become friends with Potgieter after sharing a cottage with him this week. “I did a great job with that today. I took it one step at a time, didn’t really get ahead of myself and it worked out well.”

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With their eyes on Augusta National, Aldrich Potgieter and Anna Davis take early Junior Invitational at Sage Valley leads

Both players will be at Augusta National in two weeks, but they still have 36 holes to go in South Carolina first.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. – The beauty of Sage Valley Golf Club disarms you when you step on the property.

And then you take your first swing.

The pristine course proved it’s a more than capable test of talent Thursday during the first round of the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, where the best junior players from around the world were largely flummoxed on a nearly perfect (albeit chilly in the morning) day.

Well, not everyone.

Aldrich Potgieter put his windows down and his round on cruise control to the tune of a bogey-free, 7-under 65 in the opening round. The South African made birdie on his first four holes of the day and added three more on Nos. 6, 11 and 15 to take a commanding six-shot lead into Friday’s second round. Bryan Kim, Eric Lee, William Jennings and Preston Stout are all T-2 at 1 under.

“I hit most of the fairways, was unlucky on the last hole, it ran through the fairway just on the left side and went into a divot so didn’t really have a look for birdie there, but yeah, really solid,” said Potgieter. “Left the chip short on 17, almost holed it, and on 16, so that was really good. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

The 18-year-old is also looking forward to a trip 20 miles down the road in a few weeks to Augusta National Golf Club. As the defending British Amateur champion, Potgieter earned exemptions into both the legendary 150th Open at St. Andrews last year, as well as the Masters this year.

“(The Open) just gave me so much experience and I’m looking forward to the Masters now coming up,” he said. “I’m trying to use this week to prepare for Augusta, both have quick greens, and this golf course is so good.”

Potgieter has yet to make his first trip down Magnolia Lane, but he did pick the brain of two-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim, who played Augusta National earlier this week before an appearance at Wednesday’s Nike Night at the Junior Invitational.

“The Masters is probably the biggest tournament I grew up watching on TV. Seeing that chip in from Tiger, I watch that probably five times a year on YouTube,” explained Potgieter. “To play (the Masters) at a young age is just unbelievable.”

Speaking of, on the girls side of the leaderboard, 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Anna Davis leads the way after a 2-under 70 on Thursday. Davis struggled at the start after two bogeys over her first three holes but found some rhythm with four birdies over Nos. 6-10 to take a two-shot lead into Friday. Nika Ito and Andrea Revuelta are T-2 at even par.

“I was hitting it really close most of the day. I kind of had a rocky start there for a second on the front nine, but I brought it back,” said Davis of her round. “I think I was just hitting every fairway, hitting every green, putting kind of let me down a little bit today, but other than that it’s good.”

Around this time last year, the now-16-year-old from Spring Valley, California, was an underdog winner at the ANWA. These days, she’s the favorite every tournament she tees it up.

“I’ve gotten used to it, kind of knowing people know my name now, people know my face. People are gonna put pressure on you because they expect you to win these tournaments, but I just don’t really let that get to me,” said Davis. “I know all these girls are great players. I know everybody has a chance to win. The attention is nice sometimes, but yeah I think I’m alright with it.”

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Sage Valley Junior Invitational competitors hit bombs into the night with PGA Tour pro Tom Kim

Kim, a two-time winner on Tour at 20 years old, is just 2-3 years older than the junior competitors.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — The players aren’t the only stars at the Sage Valley Junior Invitational.

The day before Thursday’s first round of the nation’s premier junior golf tournament – whose field boasts the top 10 in both the boys and girls Golfweek/Sagarin rankings – former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow spoke to the 36 boys and 24 girls competing for the gold jacket and even played a practice round with last year’s girls runner-up, Bailey Shoemaker.

Later on in the evening, rising star and two-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim was on hand to record a podcast with five-time LPGA winner Michelle Wie West and Hally Leadbetter and play an alternate-shot game with a handful of the players on Sage Valley’s under-the-lights par 3 course.

Meet Gianna Clemente: The 14-year-old who Monday-qualified for three consecutive LPGA events

“I never had the opportunity that these kids had, so it’s really cool for me to come out and see the juniors and play with them,” said Kim, the 20-year-old on a meteoric rise through professional golf. “Some of these kids are just 2 years younger than me, so we’re not far apart. I’m so used to seeing the older guys on Tour so it’s kinda cool to see some kids around my age and we definitely had some fun.”

After the alternate-shot game – where Kim and SVJI competitor Macy Pate lost after he missed a three-footer – the pro stayed on the par 3 to take some pictures and answer some questions from a dozen or so players. When one player asked if they could hit his driver, Kim couldn’t help but say yes, and the lot took turns bombing balls into the night sky.

“The biggest thing was just having fun with the kids and giving them an experience they won’t forget.”

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Why teen Aldrich Potgieter can start making plans to play in the Masters, U.S. and British Opens

South African Aldrich Potgieter became only the third South African to win the British Amateur.

Teenage South African Aldrich Potgieter built a seemingly insurmountable lead and then withstood a stirring comeback from Sam Bairstow to win the 127th Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes in Lytham St. Annes, England.

In the 36-hole final over the Lancashire links, the 17-year-old held on for a 3-and-2 victory over the Englishman to become the youngest winner of the championship since Matteo Manassero triumphed in 2009 aged 16.

“It’s really amazing,” Potgieter said. “I can’t really find the words, there’s no feeling like it and I haven’t felt this good before. The words can’t even come out of my mind.”

Potgieter surged ahead thanks to a bogey-free four-under-par 66 in the morning session to grab a seven-up lead. But Bairstow, 23, kept it interesting, clawing back to two down with four to play.

Just a year ago, Laird Shepherd rallied from eight down at Nairn, but Potgieter never buckled under the mounting pressure and relied on his brilliant short game to seal the win on his first-ever visit to the UK.

For starters, Potgieter, ranked 140th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, earned a berth in The 150th Open at St. Andrews next month.

“I’m really excited,” he said. “I played the Old Course recently (in the Links Trophy) and it was really amazing. I think the course is going to get in better shape so I’m really looking forward to that.”

The South African sensation also can expect a spot in the 2023 U.S. Open and, by tradition, an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament in April. The teenager will also be invited to play in an event on the DP World Tour.

Potgieter became only the third South African to triumph after Jovan Rebula at Royal Aberdeen in 2018 and Bobby Cole at Carnoustie in 1966.

From a 288-man starting field representing 42 countries, Bairstow, the highest-ranked Great Britain and Ireland player in the competition at 19th on WAGR, reached the finals and was bidding to become the first left-hander to win The Amateur in the modern era.

Bairstow’s bogey at the second hole gave Potgieter the early advantage and he doubled his lead after a birdie at the 3rd. As the Englishman struggled to settle, he made two further bogeys at the fourth and the sixth as Potgieter stretched his lead to 4-up.

After a nifty approach to the short ninth, the South African rolled in the putt to go 5-up. Potgieter looked in trouble on the par-5 11th after pulling his drive but he drilled a low approach and won another hole as Bairstow fluffed his chip. Given Potgieter plays at Pinnacle Point on the southern coast of South Africa, the breezy conditions didn’t bother the teen who is experienced in keeping it low in the wind.

Potgieter widened the lead to 7-up after Bairstow bogeyed the 12th but only his second birdie of the day at the 13th gave him hope. The Hallowes member continued to battle, sharing the next four holes, but he was bunkered off the 18th tee and found himself seven down at halfway.

“On this golf course, going bogey-free on the first 18 holes was incredible for me,” Potgieter said. “I played really well and everything worked out well. I knew Sam was going to do better than he did this morning. He didn’t play too well, but I knew he was going to come out strong. He wasn’t going to give up. I just had to play steady and keep my lead.”

An errant tee shot from Potgieter at the 21st saw him make his first bogey, allowing Bairstow to win just his second hole and reduce his arrears to six down. The South African, a three-time winner at the junior level in his homeland this year, hit another poor tee shot at the 22nd only to rescue a vital half with a 10-foot putt.

Bairstow, who qualified for last year’s Open at Royal St George’s, holed a 35-foot putt at the 24th to spark a roar from the crowds, but a birdie at the 26th saw Potgieter reclaim a 6-up lead by the turn and stay in control.

However, the Sheffield native made another birdie at the 28th, among five from him in the afternoon round, to keep fighting. A bogey at the 30th from Potgieter and a win from Bairstow at the 31st suddenly saw him claw within three holes, as the South African continued to find sand. Bairstow claimed a third consecutive hole at the 32nd but his double-bogey at the 33rd ultimately ended his hopes as Potgieter closed it out at the next with a par.

“With all the crowds here, there’s a lot of people I know, and that spurred me on a bit this afternoon. I just couldn’t get it all the way back. I was a bit emotional at the end with everyone cheering but unfortunately, I couldn’t do it for them,” Bairstow said. “But I suppose growing up if you had said to me, ‘Would you ever reach the final of The Amateur? I’d say, ‘no.’ It’s quite special.”

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