Ryan Lavner makes a prediction about Aldrich Potgieter after seeing something he can’t remember Bryson DeChambeau doing

Add as preferred source on Google

While Aldrich Potgieter led going into the final round of the Rocket Classic on Sunday, golf fans may have suspected that the South African may struggle to get across the line.

Aldrich Potgieter has put himself in a great position after 54 holes in a couple of events over the last few months. He had a three-shot lead before the final round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge in his native South Africa late last year.

Meanwhile, he was also at the top of the leaderboard after three rounds at the Mexico Open. However, on both occasions, Potgieter missed out on getting the victory.

He was not to be denied at the Rocket Classic however, with Potgieter beating Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk in a playoff at Detroit Golf Club.

Exciting prediction about Aldrich Potgieter made after his victory at the Rocket Classic

There is no question what the biggest strength in the 20-year-old’s game is, with Potgieter boasting awesome power. He averaged 337.1 yards off the tee across the week, according to the PGA Tour website.

At one stage in the final round, he managed to reach a ball speed of 196 miles per hour. And speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Ryan Lavner admitted that the youngster has the makings of a superstar.

“I am not sure I have ever seen 196mph ball speed on the PGA Tour. Even in Bryson’s big beefy era, which I think was 2020, 2021, I don’t ever recall seeing 196mph and there are some really fast players on the PGA Tour, whether that is Cameron Champ, Min Woo Lee,” he said.

“Aldrich Potgieter is a different dude altogether. But I think what makes him so enticing and tantalising as a prospect is that he has a winning pedigree too.

“He has always been ahead of the curve. He won the British amateur. He was the second youngest winner of that golf tournament. He broke Jason Day’s long time record as the youngest winner on the Korn Ferry Tour and now he wins on the PGA Tour in just his 20th start before his 21st birthday. He does not turn 21 until this Fall.

“You can see how he is growing. This is the third time he has been in the final group on the PGA Tour on Sunday this year. He shot 78 in that final group at Torrey Pines, I say he learned a lot there.

“Remember the Mexican Open playoff with Brian Campbell. It was a par five, he should have feasted against one of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour. Instead hit driver, six irons twice in the playoff and failed to make birdie on either of those occasions then lost to Brian Campbell, who hit once which clearly was going out of bounds. Kicks back into play and makes birdie the hard way.

“This sort of seems like he is still an unfinished product, but this just shows you how good he can be. He’s 20 years old. We talk about Ludvig Aberg on the PGA Tour, one of the game’s rising young stars. Ludvig Aberg turns 26 years old this Fall. There is so much runway for Aldrich Potgieter to get better. I think we are potentially looking down the road at one of the best players in the world.”

The top five longest drivers on the PGA Tour, with Rory McIlroy in second place

The top five longest hitters on the PGA Tour this year tells quite the story, with Potgieter some way out in front.

Rory McIlroy is in second place, nearly seven yards adrift.

In fact, the gap between Potgieter and McIlroy is the same as the gap between McIlroy and Min Woo Lee, who is down in 11th.

Clearly, there is a lot of work which needs to be done to Potgieter’s game, particularly when it comes to approach play. But with the power he possesses, he is someone who is likely to always give himself a chance.

And many will be expecting this first professional win on the PGA Tour to open a lot of doors.