Potgieter's First PGA Tour Win, Patrick Reed's Ryder Cup Case

There is a new young winner on the PGA Tour and his name is Aldrich Potgieter. The 20-year-old buried an 18-foot putt on the fifth playoff hole at the Rocket Classic, edging out Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk to become the youngest South African to win on the PGA Tour. It’s been a season of highs and lows for Potgieter, who has both played in three final groups on Sundays and also missed nine cuts in 14 PGA Tour starts this year. 

Defeating a full field on the PGA Tour is an outstanding accomplishment, particularly for someone of Potgieter’s age. He boasts quite an amateur résumé too, highlighted by wins at The Amateur Championship in 2022 and the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. At just 20 years old, Potgieter has a PGA Tour win under his belt and a two-year exemption on Tour, providing job security as he establishes his young career. 

Where he goes from here will be fascinating to watch. Potgieter is a remarkable talent with effortless ball speed and the longest driving distance on the PGA Tour. With the tournament on the line late on Sunday, Aldrich pounded a 196-mph drive 366 yards down the 14th fairway, 10 yards farther than any other drive hit on No. 14 on Sunday. He overwhelms golf courses with his firepower, especially on setups like Detroit Golf Club, which are vulnerable to a bomb-and-gouge strategy. 

Potgieter is an immense talent. As he progresses, he’ll need to refine his raw skill set, a word  his coach Justin Parsons has also used in reference to his game. His short game is a glaring weakness, especially under pressure, and cost him multiple strokes on Sunday where he should have made simple up-and-downs. He’s also struggled with a combination of judging distance and distance control, which reared its head on both the 15th and 18th holes in crucial situations on Sunday. 

Despite some of the current limitations, Potgieter’s future is extremely bright. If he can pair a more well-rounded tool box with his unmatched speed advantage, we may see his name pop up on many leaderboards over the next decade.  

The next time we see Detroit Golf Club on the PGA Tour, the course will have undergone a $16 million Tyler Rae-led restoration. Per Tony Paul of the Detroit News, the Rocket Classic will be moving to late July in 2026, affording the course some extra time to settle in post-restoration. The golf course will look quite different next July, with all 18 greens set to be replaced, substantial design changes from tee to green, and a significant effort to improve drainage. 

In its current state, Detroit Golf Club isn’t scaled appropriately for the modern game, with many bunkers positioned at lengths PGA Tour players can clear with ease. The course record was set or tied three times on Thursday, only to be bested (61) less than 24 hours later on Friday. 

Post-restoration, Detroit Golf Club is unlikely to pose a stiff challenge for the best players in the world. However, with some design changes and a more effective drainage system, hopefully Rae’s project will yield a better modernized test for the best players in the world while remaining true to Donald Ross’ original work. 

Reed Strengthens Ryder Cup Case

At a hot and sweaty 100-degree LIV Golf Dallas, Patrick Reed birdied the first hole in a four-man playoff to secure his first LIV win. Entering the final round with a three-shot lead, Reed struggled with five bogeys on the front nine before rebounding with an even-par back nine to snag a spot in the playoff. 

In major championships this calendar year, Reed has registered a solo third at the Masters, a missed cut at the PGA, and a T-23 at the U.S. Open. Considering the options near the bottom of Team USA’s roster, Reed belongs squarely in the Ryder Cup captain’s pick conversation. I suspect a win on LIV won’t meaningfully change Keegan Bradley’s calculus, but Reed’s season is at least as strong as many of the names in consideration for a captain’s pick, and a win on LIV bolsters his case, even if marginally. 

In Reed’s LIV Dallas pre-tournament presser, he was asked about his Ryder Cup candidacy. “It's really going to come down to the Open Championship, having a chance to win there,” Reed responded. “You have a really good showing and play well there, then you just never know.” 

No matter what kind of favor Patrick Reed has found with the American team room, he’s a strong showing at Royal Portrush away from earning the nod at Bethpage. 

Harrington Fights Maltbie, Wins Senior Open

Out on the senior tour, 53-year-old Padraig Harrington scratched out a one-shot victory at the Broadmoor to earn his second U.S. Senior Open trophy. En route to the win, Harrington fought his way past Stewart Cink, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and…Roger Maltbie. 

Harrington and Maltbie were captured in a heated exchange on Friday. Via a phone interview with Golf.com, Maltbie relayed that Harrington took issue with Maltbie’s decision not to join the search party for a Harrington tee shot on the 15th hole on Thursday. According to Maltbie, he needed to describe the unfolding scene on air and couldn’t both do that and search for Harrington’s ball in the thicket of trees. 

Unfortunately for viewers at home, the altercation stopped short of turning physical. Maybe if Maltbie skips a future Harrington search party, we’ll get a more exciting scrap in Harrington vs. Maltbie 2. 

‍This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.