Aldrich Potgieter confirmed his spot as one to watch on the PGA Tour in the years to come with his victory at the Rocket Classic in 2025.
There is no question that the 21-year-old is one of the most exciting talents on the PGA Tour right now. As well as winning in Detroit, Aldrich Potgieter also made it into a playoff at the Mexico Open.
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Meanwhile, Potgieter ended the year as the longest hitter on tour. He averaged 325 yards off the tee – two yards further than second place Rory McIlroy.
So he appears to have the tools to become the latest South African golfer to win a major championship in the years to come.
Aldrich Potgieter names his top three South African golfers of all-time
Only the United States, Scotland, and England have won more majors in the men’s game than the Rainbow Nation.
There have been 22 majors won by South African players, with Ernie Els the last to triumph in one of the four biggest events of the year.
And speaking on The Smylie Show after being asked to put together his podium of South African golfers, Potgieter suggested that he would put Els at the very top.
“I would say Gary Player has to be on there, but I think he’s going to take silver. And Ernie Els, I think Ernie Els is going to take gold. I think he could have done so much more obviously if Tiger wasn’t there. I kind of want to see those records,” he said.
“And then a bronze, there’s a few guys who’ve done a lot. You’ve got Retief [Goosen] who won two majors. But I think I’ll give it to Louis [Oosthuizen] because he’s come second in so many majors. I think that one year he had three or four, so I think Louis deserves that last spot.”
Why Gary Player may strongly disagree with Potgieter’s view
Gary Player may not take too kindly to Potgieter’s view. The nine-time major champion hit the headlines recently, with Player naming himself as the third greatest golfer of all-time.
No South African has won more majors than Player. Els is tied with Bobby Locke with four wins, while four others have won majors.
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And much of that success this century has come at The Masters.
Both Trevor Immelman and Charl Schwartzel won at Augusta National, while Oosthuizen ended up in a playoff before Bubba Watson produced that shot from the trees on 10 back in 2012.
Potgieter is perhaps a leading candidate to add his name to that list in the future.
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