Potgieter chasing debut win in ‘Africa’s Major’
The 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter is on the brink of a dream debut in the Nedbank Golf Challenge as the young South African takes a three-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round at the Gary Player Country Club.
Potgieter was given an invitation into this tournament by Gary Player and has grabbed the opportunity by taking the lead on seven under par following a bogey-free 66 on Saturday.
Italy’s Francesco Laporta and England’s Matthew Jordan are his nearest challengers. Laporta worked his way into contention with a third round of 69, while Jordan posted a 71 on another hot and windy day.
Defending champion Max Homa will start the final round four shots off the lead following a 72.
Potgieter was delighted with his performance in a tournament he admits he was just hoping to use to gain experience before embarking on his PGA Tour career next season.
“I didn’t expect to come here and win. I was just trying to use it as a learning curve, and obviously if you do get the win it’s a really big bonus. A win here would mean everything to me. It would be a dream come true. But I’m just trying to hit one shot at a time and we’ll see how the final round goes,” he said.
Potgieter started strong in Saturday’s third round with two birdies in his first four holes and then made another push with two birdies over the turn. He then drove home his advantage with an eagle on the par-five 14th hole.
“I played some good golf and had a lot of big par saves. With the eagle, I was aiming for middle of the green. I hit the ball a little more right but I knew the wind was there, and when I looked up I knew it was going at the hole. I’m quite happy with the result.”
The young South African was also loving every minute of the home support he was given on Saturday, especially after spending most of the last few years developing his career in America where he played on the Korn Ferry Tour before securing his playing privileges on the PGA Tour.
“It was a great day. I loved the crowd out there and it was awesome to have a pretty big crowd following us. You miss home when you’re in a new country. To have some family here as well is great. I’m just really happy and will try and do the same on the final day.”
It will indeed be a big day for Potgieter as he seeks to write his name into Nedbank Golf Challenge history and become the first South African champion since 2017.
