Rising PGA Tour Star Suddenly Withdraws From John Deere Classic Before Final Round originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The third round of the John Deere Classic unfolded on Saturday, setting the stage for what could be a dramatic finish in Sunday’s final round, with several players still firmly in contention.
Last year’s tournament winner, Davis Thompson, surged to the top of the leaderboard at 15-under par after posting a 4-under round. Brian Campbell, Emiliano Grillo, David Lipsky, and Max Homa are all tied for second at 14-under, just one shot back.
A recurring theme throughout the tournament, however, has been a wave of unexpected withdrawals. Four players pulled out before the event even began, and since then, Andrew Putnam, Nicholas Lindheim, and Stephan Jaeger have all withdrawn mid-tournament.
Now, another surprise exit has emerged: 20-year-old rising star Aldrich Potgieter — who captured his first PGA Tour victory last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic — has withdrawn following his third round.
Aldrich Potgieter is a WD following the third round of the John Deere Classic.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) July 5, 2025
Potgieter entered Saturday in contention, but after a disappointing 5-over round dropped him to 4-under for the tournament, he made the decision to withdraw — despite still being in the running for a sizable payday.
The 20-year-old rising star from South Africa has quickly made a name for himself on the PGA Tour. In just 20 career appearances, he’s already recorded two top-five finishes, three top-10s, and one runner-up performance — in addition to capturing his first career win just last week.
Fans weren’t particularly pleased with the withdrawal, pointing to his poor third-round performance as the likely reason behind the sudden decision to step away.
“76 at tpc deere run will do that to you,” a fan said.
Another fan posted, “NOOO.”
Someone else said, “Maybe mention that on your leaderboard then. He’s completely disappeared from it!
“This is getting ridiculous @PGATOUR? Why?,” one more fan commented.
Related: Aldrich Potgieter’s Victory Proves Professional Golf’s Next Generation Has No Fear
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
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