1 year ago
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Associated Press
Jun 29, 2025, 07:58 PM ET
DETROIT -- Aldrich Potgieter ended the protracted Rocket Classic, making an 18-foot birdie putt connected the 5th playoff spread to outlast Max Greyserman for his archetypal PGA Tour rubric connected Sunday.
"I yet got 1 to the hole," Potgieter said aft missed opportunities connected the greenish by 3 players led to the longest playoff of the play connected the tour.
He celebrated by embracing his caddie and shaking hands with Greyserman and his caddie earlier giving his father, Heinrich, a hug.
The 20-year-old Potgieter is the youngest subordinate connected the circuit and its biggest hitter, averaging 326-plus yards disconnected the tee. He became the ninth subordinate to triumph for the archetypal clip this season.
Potgieter was calved successful South Africa, moved to Australia erstwhile helium was 8 and returned to South Africa astatine property 17 due to the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic constricted his opportunities to compete.
"We had to springiness up a lot, moving to Australia, moving back," helium said. "Emigrating is decidedly not the easiest thing. Coming unsocial astatine the commencement of my vocation to the States and giving it a grind, and having my dada present has helped truthful much."
Potgieter won the British Amateur astatine the property of 17 and became the youngest Korn Ferry Tour victor past year, paving the mode for him to go the second-youngest subordinate to gain a PGA Tour paper done the insignificant league conscionable aft his 20th birthday. The youngest was Jason Day, who was 19 successful 2007.
Chris Kirk was eliminated aft missing a 4-foot putt connected the 2nd playoff spread -- that aft pushing a 9-foot putt past the cupful connected the archetypal other spread with a accidental to win.
Greyserman and Potgieter each had opportunities to triumph extremity it connected the 72nd spread astatine Detroit Golf Club, but couldn't person connected birdie opportunities to interruption a necktie astatine 22 nether with Kirk.
"This one's going to sting for a small bit," Greyserman said.
Potgieter, 2 strokes up entering the round, closed with a 3-under 69, and Greyserman and Kirk each changeable 67.
Greyserman missed a 12-foot putt and Potgieter came up abbreviated connected an uphill, 42-foot putt. That acceptable up Kirk with an accidental to triumph it, but helium couldn't instrumentality advantage. After Greyserman two-putted from 39 feet for par and Potgieter did the aforesaid from 20 feet, Kirk had a accidental to triumph it with a 9-foot putt lone to propulsion it to the close of the cupful to widen the playoff.
The trio past went to the par-3, 158-yard 15th and Greyserman was the lone 1 who was close disconnected the tee and didn't instrumentality advantage.
The inclination continued connected the par-4 16th, wherever some Greyserman and Potgieter missed 16-foot putts with a accidental to win.
At the par-5 14th, Greyserman deed is thrust 361 yards -- his longest of the week -- and was conscionable 2 yards down Potgieter's blast. Potgieter deed his attack from 195 yards to 19 feet and helium pulled his putt. Greyserman two-putted from from 29 feet for birdie.
Back astatine No. 15 for a 2nd clip successful the playoff, Greyserman two-putted from 34 feet and past Potgieter yet ended it.
"Just wasn't my time," said Greyserman, who finished 2nd for the 4th clip aft coming up abbreviated for his archetypal PGA Tour victory.
Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Jake Knapp (68) finished a changeable retired of the playoff. Collin Morikawa, meanwhile, is inactive waiting to extremity his drought.
He changeable a 68 to decorativeness 19 nether and successful an eighth-place tie. The two-time large winner, who was the highest-ranked subordinate successful the tract astatine No. 5 successful the world, has not won the PGA Tour since October 2023 astatine the Zozo Championship successful Japan.
Ryder Cup skipper Keegan Bradley, who roseate to No. 7 successful the satellite aft winning the Travelers Championship past week, closed with 67 to necktie for 41st astatine 12 under.
