Aldrich Potgieter, 20, emerges as Rocket Classic champion in five-hole playoff

Tony Paul, The Detroit News on Jun 29, 2025

Published in Golf

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

DETROIT — The kid's all right, that's for sure.

Aldrich Potgieter, all of 20 years old, made a putt of more than 17 feet for birdie on the fifth sudden-death playoff hole to win the Rocket Classic on another wild and crazy Sunday at Detroit Golf Club.

Potgieter beat Max Greyserman, 30, on the fifth extra hole in a playoff featuring one narrowly missed putt after another, eliciting one groan after another from fans — before they began running down the fairways to watch the next playoff hole. Greyserman also had a birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole, the short, par-3 15th, but that putt of 34 feet just slid by the left, setting up Potgieter for the heroics.

Chris Kirk, 40, was eliminated on the second playoff when he pulled his par putt to the left from inside 4 feet.

It was the longest playoff on the PGA Tour this season. And in the end, Potgieter emerged victorious on his 77th hole of the week, and 23rd of the day.

"It was definitely a tough day," said Potgieter, of South Africa. "The start didn't go my way. I struggled to make putts, left a lot short. Finally got one to the hole, and I just saw the ball roll end over end and I knew it was going to go in."

Potgieter won the third playoff in Rocket Classic history, joining Cam Davis, who also won a five-hole affair (and finished it on 15) in 2021, and Rickie Fowler, who won with a birdie on the first playoff hole in 2023.

It was a shaky start to the day for Potgieter, who took a two-stroke lead into the final round, then was trailing by two within an hour, when he made two bogeys in his first five holes, including at the short par-3 fifth hole.

He also bogeyed the 15th in regulation, but he more than made up for that later.

Potgieter opened the week with a bang, and a then-course-record, 10-under 62, and bookended that with a final-round, 3-under 69 to get into 22 under, and into the playoff with Kirk (67) and Greyserman (67).

At 20 years, nine months and 16 days, Potgieter is the seventh-youngest winner on the PGA Tour since 1983. The South African is one of five international-born players to win on the PGA Tour before 21, joining Tom Kim, Joaquin Niemann, Rory McIlroy and Seve Ballesteros.

Last year at 19, he became the youngest player ever to win on the Korn Ferry Tour.

"I did a lot of good things," said Greyserman, who was delayed getting to the tee on the first playoff hole, after he had to replace a shoe spike that got caught walking into the clubhouse at the end of regulation. "Obviously wish I could have had a few shots back or a few putts.

"Sometimes, putts don't go in."

Greyserman had an 8-footer for birdie at the second playoff hole, also the par-3 15th, but just missed. He also missed a makeable birdie putt on the 18th hole in regulation, which would've won it. Kirk missed an 8-footer for birdie on the first playoff hole, the par-4 18th, that also could've done it.

Greyserman and Kirk, who was looking for his seventh PGA Tour victory, shot 67 in the final round.

For Kirk, it's his fifth top-25 finish at the Rocket in seven appearances in Detroit.

He's now been in contention multiple times on Sunday at the Rocket.

"Yeah, obviously just really disappointed right now," Kirk said. "It's a shame that first playoff hole. Hit just three perfect shots, and misread that putt a little bit. That's the way it goes sometimes, unfortunately."

Potgieter, followed all day by a nervous father, Henrich Potgieter, becomes the third player to make the Rocket his first PGA Tour victory, along with Nate Lashley, the inaugural winner in 2019, and Davis, who got his first at the Rocket in 2021, and then his second in 2024.

Potgieter, who hadn't played on the PGA Tour in a month, took home the winner's check of $1.728 million, more than his entire season earnings entering Rocket week.

"I'm just happy to walk away as a winner," he said moments after his winning putt went in the cup.

Finishing a shot back of the leaders at 21 under were Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Jake Knapp (68). At 20 under were Nico Echavarria (66) and Jackson Suber (68).

Former major champs Collin Morikawa (68) and Matt Fitzpatrick (67) tied for eighth at 19 under.

The 2026 Rocket Classic will be later in the summer, July 30 through Aug. 2.

For those of you wondering, the longest playoff in PGA Tour history was 11 holes, at the 1949 Motor City Open at Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville, Mich. And the youngest winner in PGA Tour was Michigan's Chuck Kocsis, who was just out of high school, and 18 years, six months and nine days, when he won the 1931 Michigan Open as an amateur.

____