Aldrich Potgieter admits his enormous length can actually be a problem after day three at the Rocket Classic

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Aldrich Potgieter is the most explosive driver of the golf ball on the PGA Tour.

He wielded his superpower to great effect on Saturday at the Rocket Classic, when he carded a sizzling seven-under par 65, to take a two-shot lead into Sunday.

Potgieter can equal a long-standing PGA Tour record with a win at Detroit Golf Club on Sunday, by becoming only the fifth player from outside of the United States to win before his 21st birthday.

The 20-year-old’s extraordinary length off the tee has seen him bring the Detroit Golf Course to its knees.

In fairness, he does that to most courses on the PGA Tour. If Potgieter drives the ball fairly straight, he will contend more often than not.

And he has certainly done that in Motown this week.

However, it seems like his ball speed isn’t always a big advantage for him. In fact, it can be a hindrance at times.

Aldrich Potgieter says his power can be a problem after day three at the Rocket Classic

We’d all love to hit the ball 330 yards through the air like the 20-year-old does.

However, there are certain pitfalls of having incredibly fast ball speeds.

It was put to Potgieter that his prodigious power might make it difficult to control his yardages with his irons.

The big South African responded: “Yeah, I had five wedges in my bag at a time and we’ve gone back to four, so that makes the gaps a lot bigger, but I had a fitting with Titleist and we improved a lot on what the ball’s doing and spin control and I think that was the hardest part. I think my technique was good, I just struggled with the equipment a little bit to kind of do what I was wanting to do. I think I was just fighting a little bit too much, especially with the wedges and irons. It was a lot better this week and should be good now.“

Judging by his performance in Detroit this week, Potgieter has figured out a system whereby he has better control of his short irons.

After three rounds at the Rocket Classic, the South African sits in eighth position in the strokes gained approach category, and he is tied second in greens hit in regulation.

Top five driving distance leaders on the PGA Tour

Potgieter is unrivalled when it comes to his length off the tee, on the PGA Tour at least.

Here are the top five longest hitters on the tour right now:

It’s interesting how some of the quicker ball speeds on that list equate to lower distance. That will have something to do with the shape of shot.

For instance, McIlroy draws the ball off the tee mostly, whilst Norgaard predominantly hits a fade.

The fact that Potgieter is top of both lists tells us all we need to know about the South African powerhouse.