VALLARTA, Mexico — Aldrich Potgieter showcased his exceptional golfing skills on Friday at the Mexico Open, delivering an impressive performance that concluded with a 10-under 61. This outstanding round enabled the powerful South African golfer to secure a four-shot lead as the tournament approaches its midpoint at Vidanta Vallarta.
Potgieter experienced a minor setback on the 10th hole, where his tee shot landed in the water. However, he made an impressive par by chipping in after faltering on two of the shorter par 5s on the back nine. Despite these hurdles, he had a fleeting chance of eclipsing the previous day’s remarkable sub-60 round, which he achieved last year on the Korn Ferry Tour with a score of 59.
His hopes for an even lower score were dashed on the par-5 18th hole. A drive that found the bunker and an approach shot that fell short into another bunker left him struggling. His ball was positioned near the lip, complicating his 20-yard bunker shot, and he ultimately settled for a two-putt par from 25 feet. “But it was okay,” he remarked about the par. “I knew I made a lot of extra birdies throughout the day where that wasn’t going to hurt me.”
With a total score of 16-under 126, Potgieter tied the course record and holds a comfortable four-shot advantage over competitors Stephan Jaeger (64) and Brian Campbell, who also performed well with a pair of 65s, including a birdie on the last hole.
This stellar performance from Potgieter comes on the heels of his earlier achievements, including winning the 2022 British Amateur at just 17 years old and making history as the youngest player to win on the Korn Ferry Tour at the age of 19 last year. “I love the golf course. It definitely suits my game, I think, in a lot of aspects,” Potgieter commented. “If I can keep putting well, I think it should be pretty good.”
Potgieter’s impressive power and striking ability were evident, particularly with his putter, which was a key contributor to his 61. He successfully converted seven putts from 10 feet or longer, which doesn’t even account for his skillful chip-in par on the 10th hole after a challenging series of shots. On the 661-yard 12th hole, he showcased his prowess by hitting the driver off the fairway and landing just over 20 feet from the hole.
“I’ve been practicing, doing a drill on the driving range with teeing it really low and hitting it really good with the driver that way,” Potgieter shared. “I was telling my caddie, ‘Let’s just do the same thing.’ It was a perfect number, so yeah, hit the perfect shot.” His ability to drive the ball consistently over 325 yards was demonstrated seven times throughout his round.
Jaeger, while encountering another bogey on one of the par 5 holes after hitting his wedge over the green at No. 12, managed to maintain competitiveness and finished with a solid 64 by achieving six birdies in his last ten holes. “It’s one of those golf courses I feel like if you hit it nicely and give yourself a lot of chances, the greens are so good it’s nice to make some putts,” he noted.
Aaron Rai from England, ranked No. 29 in the field, also scored a 64 and sits five shots behind the leader. Meanwhile, Antoine Rozner faced a tense situation on his final hole, needing a birdie to shift the cut line and eliminate 12 players from contention, ultimately having to secure a 10-foot par to avoid being cut himself.
Two amateur contenders who are set to compete in the Masters made the cut, alongside 77 players who advanced at 3-under 138. Justin Hastings, the Latin America Amateur champion from the Cayman Islands, finished strong, birdieing three out of his last four holes to secure a 67 and a total of 136. Meanwhile, the U.S. Amateur champion, Jose Luis Ballester, posted a 69 to tie at 138.
Also progressing to the weekend was Blades Brown, a 17-year-old who turned professional earlier this year. He shot a respectable 69 but is currently trailing by 11 shots.
