The 20-year-old South African bomber is about to make Collin Morikawa’s life very difficult at the Rocket Classic – and he’s just getting started

The Kid Nobody Saw Coming

While you were probably wondering if you should grab another beer during Saturday’s third round coverage, a 20-year-old kid with a name that sounds like a German engineering firm was quietly dismantling Detroit Golf Club. Aldrich Potgieter (pronounced “Pot-HEE-ter” for those keeping score at home) sits atop the Rocket Classic leaderboard with a two-shot cushion, and suddenly everyone’s asking the same question: who is this kid?

From South Africa to Sunday Showdowns

Here’s what you need to know about golf’s newest headache for established stars: Potgieter is the youngest player on the PGA Tour, he hits bombs that would make Bryson DeChambeau jealous, and he’s hunting for his first Tour victory with the ice-cold composure of someone who’s been doing this for decades, not months.

The South African opened the tournament with a course-record 62 on Friday, the kind of round that makes seasoned pros do double-takes at the leaderboard. But here’s the kicker – it wasn’t even his driving that stole Saturday’s show. While everyone expected him to overpower Detroit Golf Club with his legendary length, Potgieter instead went old school, rolling in putts like he was playing mini-golf at the local arcade.

When The Short Game Steals The Show

“Definitely putter. I was rolling a lot of good putts out there,” Potgieter said after his third round, specifically calling out a 35-footer for birdie at the par-3 fifth that had “momentum shift” written all over it. Five consecutive birdies on his front nine later, and suddenly the kid who bombs 350-yard drives was making headlines for his touch around the greens.

It’s the kind of well-rounded game that makes veteran players like Mark Hubbard – who played alongside Potgieter on Saturday – take notice. “I actually really wasn’t that impressed with his distance,” Hubbard admitted. “I was more impressed with the rest of his game. He putts it awesome and he’s got good hands for someone with that amount of speed.”

Morikawa’s Déjà Vu Problem

Standing four shots back in familiar territory is Collin Morikawa, who finds himself in the exact same position he was in during the 2023 Rocket Classic. Last time, he shot 68 in the final round, made a playoff, and lost to Rickie Fowler. This time, he’s got a putter change and a Ryder Cup spot on the line, but the math remains brutally simple: catch the kid with the unpronounceable name or watch him drive off into the sunset with his first PGA Tour trophy.

The Sunday Setup

What makes Sunday’s final round particularly spicy is the collection of talent breathing down Potgieter’s neck. Max Greyserman, Jake Knapp, Mark Hubbard, Andrew Putnam, and Chris Kirk all sit at 17-under, just two back. It’s a leaderboard loaded with guys hunting their first Tour win, which means nobody’s playing it safe.

For Potgieter, the pressure is real but manageable. He’s already shown he can handle the spotlight, and his ability to grind through a tough back nine on Saturday – making crucial par saves when his front-nine fireworks cooled off – suggests he’s got the mental game to match his physical tools.

The Name Game Ends Here

So the next time someone butchers “Potgieter” in conversation, you can smugly correct them with the proper pronunciation while dropping some knowledge about golf’s newest young gun. Because after Sunday, there’s a good chance we’ll all be saying his name a lot more often – and hopefully getting it right.

The kid from South Africa is four rounds away from joining an elite club of players who’ve won their first PGA Tour event at the Rocket Classic. Nate Lashley did it in 2019, Cam Davis in 2021, and now Potgieter has 18 holes to add his name to that list.

Just remember – it’s “Pot-HEE-ter,” not “Pot-guy-ter.” You’ll thank me later.