The Rocket Classic will have a new champion this year. Two-time winner Cam Davis failed to make the weekend, and the play on Saturday, June 28, left a new name atop the leader board. In fact, there were a lot of new names up there after the third round at Detroit Golf Club.
But the top golfer is a familiar name, at least this week, as 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter was one of three golfers to card a 7-under 65 in the third round to take a two-stroke lead. Potgieter, who held the DGC course record for a little under 24-hours after his first-round 62, is in position to grab his first PGA Tour victory.
Then again, the field is tight at the top — 19 other golfers are within four strokes of second place — which could make for a wild Sunday finish.
Aldrich Potgieter goes low again
Potgieter may have been the surprise of the tournament with his late surge on Thursday, but he’s proving himself a leader now. The South African surged on the front nine Saturday, delivering six birdies in the first eight holes.
Potgieter’s surge hasn’t been just beginner’s luck, either. Despite a down second round in which he only shot a 2-under 70, he rebounded Saturday with a series of excellent hits. His third shot on No. 1, using an iron, dropped in from 35 feet out, and he only improved from there. Potgieter hit five straight birdies on Nos. 4-8, then added his seventh birdie of the round on No. 13. While Potgieter’s driving has always been his strong suit, his putting was strong Saturday, with 2.569 strokes gained putting.
“I was rolling a lot of good putts out there,” Potgieter said. “A lot of them dropped, putts that I didn’t think were going to drop. … That front nine really helped me to get through. A lot of par saves on this back nine. I felt like I had to stay in it, dig deep to get through that. Didn’t birdie the par-5s, which is unfortunate, but should be a good day tomorrow.”
Potgieter’s only previous professional win came on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024. A final round like Saturday’s might change that.
The field is close behind
Potgieter has plenty of competition nipping at his heels, with five players tied for second at 17-under, three tied for seventh at 16-under and three tied for 10th at 15-under.
“It’s quite different as an ammie playing in a big event,” Potgieter said. “The leaderboard’s so stacked. When you’re looking at amateur golf, a lot of guys are up there but there might be two or three guys within two or three shots. Here there’s six or seven. The guys are just really good out here. So it’s going to play different tomorrow with that wind so we’ll have to go and do the best we can and hit the golf shot in front of us.”
Jake Knapp, who took over Potgieter’s course record on Friday with an 11-under 61, grabbed a spot in the second-place logjam with a 6-under 66 Saturday, dropping in seven birdies (and a bogey on 11) to stay close. Knapp nearly took the lead on No. 15, coming inches away from sinking a 42-foot putt. He settled for par on the tap-in.
There were a few other near-misses; the most notable came on the par-4 No. 12, where his second shot, a chip from 126 yards out, rolled to about 4 inches from the stick. He tapped in for the birdie. Turning a few of those birdies into eagles on a mostly friendly course could shoot Knapp into the lead.
Meanwhile, Max Greyserman returned to his hot ways on Saturday. He opened with a a 9-under 63 Thursday before shooting just par on Friday. During his third round, Greyserman was on point, hitting six birdies and an eagle — on No. 7 after burying an 11-foot putt — for a 66 to get to 17-under.
Greyserman turned pro in 2017 but has yet to win a major. He has, however, come in second five times. He’s hoping to avoid that outcome on Sunday.
“I don’t think I need to do too much differently,” Greyserman said. “Obviously I had three seconds last year. I haven’t played well this year, but doing a lot of things well, just kind of haven’t been at the top of the board. You can finish second different ways, right? You could be ahead, lose the lead. You could finish second in a distant and have no chance. I’ve done all those seconds and I had that experience. I have that experience going into tomorrow, so rely on that, knowing that I’m playing well, got a good team around me, so I’m excited for tomorrow.”
Collin Morikawa heating up
Morikawa, who started the Rocket with some media-relations drama and a first-round 69, followed his Round 2 64 with a 4-under 68, putting him at 15-under, well within striking range. Still, the World No. 5 (entering the tournament) squandered several opportunities to take the lead and heads into the final round tied for tenth.
Putting on the back nine was a particular issue for Morikawa. One particularly notable moment came on No. 12. A solid drive and wedge shot put Morikawa on the green with the opportunity to take the lead at 16-under. It was a downhill shot about 14 feet from the hole, but makeable. Instead, Morikawa missed it wide left by a good margin, leaving himself a 2-foot putt for par and prompting one commentator to call it the “worst putt he’s hit today.”
Just after Morikawa’s miss, Potgieter took the lead at 16-under; Morikawa had a chance to keep pace with him on 13, following a wedge shot that put him about 5½ feet from the hole. But his putt again slid wide left and he settled for a par. On 14, his missed a birdie putt from 15 feet out. He then bogeyed No. 15 despite getting on the green in one shot, 35 feet out; he triple-putted, leaving the first shot about 4 feet off and then missing wide to set up a 3-footer for the bogey.
His putting improved after that, but the damage was done, as Morikawa ended the day four shots back.
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