20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter can enter rarefied PGA Tour air with win at Mexico Open

USA Today

25-02-2025

20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter can enter rarefied PGA Tour air with win at Mexico Open
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Mexico Open 2025 Blades Brown relieved to make weekend
Blades Brown, a 17-year-old PGA Tour pro, made the cut at the 2025 Mexico Open, his first made cut as a pro.
Aldrich Potgieter, age 20, is on the verge of becoming the sixth youngest winner in PGA Tour history.
The young golfer has already set a new tournament 54-hole scoring record at 20-under 193.
Last year, Aldrich Potgieter became the youngest winner in the history of the Korn Ferry Tour. This week in Mexico, he can add his name to the PGA Tour's list of youthful victors.
The 20-year-old South African enters the final round of the 2025 Mexico Open at VidantaWorld with a one-shot lead over Brian Campbell. Potgieter is seeking his first PGA Tour win in his 10th start, but a spot in the history books is also on the line.
At 20 years, 5 months and 10 days, Potgieter would become the sixth youngest winner on the PGA Tour since the start of the 1983 season. He would also become the 19th different Tour winner from South Africa, and it would be the 100th win for South African players in the Tour's history.
Potgieter sits at 20-under 193 heading into Sunday's final round, which set a new tournament 54-hole scoring record, topping Tony Finau and Jake Knapp's mark of 194. At Vidanta Vallarta, Potgieter ranks first in driving distance (326.1) and he leads the field in birdies (23) and Strokes Gained: Putting (8.128). He also leads the Tour in 2025 in driving distance.
This is the second time in 2025 that Potgieter was in the final group in the final round. He did that a month ago at the Farmers Insurance Open, playing alongside Andrew Novak and eventual winner Harris English.
"Torrey was a really beast of a golf course, it was really tough conditions as well. I just had one really terrible hole where I just couldn't get momentum from that afterwards," Potgieter said after his third round Saturday. "Hopefully we don't have that tomorrow and we'll just make a lot of birdies. Just trying to do the same thing we did the last two days, three days. Even like today, played really good and I was happy with how I was hitting it."
Young players come to the PGA Tour now more ready to win than ever before. With advances in modern equipment, fitness training and coaching, the depth of professional golf is better than ever before. It's also harder than ever to win on Tour because of how good the new crop of players is every year.
Nick Dunlap won last year as an amateur at the American Express and has won since turning pro. Luke Clanton, the world's top amateur, is on the verge of earning his PGA Tour card because of his performance in events since last summer.
And then there are players like Potgieter, who didn't go to college and instead turned professional right from the amateur ranks. The past British Amateur champion won quickly on the Korn Ferry Tour before earning his card last year, and now he has an opportunity to win on the PGA Tour.
As the saying goes, the kids are good.