There aren't many players on the planet these days who can outdrive Rory McIlroy, but that's exactly what we've got in 20-year-old Aldrich Potgeiter, who currently leads the PGA Tour in driving distance, averaging an absurd 326.6 yards, a full six yards ahead of Rory, who sits in second at 320.6.
Potgeiter has been even longer this week at the Rocket Classic, averaging 329.4 yards off the tee en route to taking the 54-hole lead at Detroit Golf Club, a venue that holds a special place in his heart, as it was here two years ago that the South African played his first PGA Tour event as a professional.
Potgieter missed the cut that week but has obviously fared much better this time around, opening the tourney by firing a course-record 62, a mark that lasted all of one day before Jake Knapp shot 61 during the second round.
Potgieter took a bit of a step back on Friday with a 2-under 70 but bounced back nicely on Saturday, carding seven birdies (including five in a row on the front side) against zero bogeys en route to a 7-under 65, thus getting him to 19-under for the week and giving him a two-shot lead heading into Sunday's final round.
With a plethora of players chasing him, it won't be easy for the world No. 123 to capture his first PGA Tour victory.
But if Potgieter can pull it off, not only will he become the youngest South African ever to win a PGA Tour event, but he'll also become just the fifth player born outside the United States to visit a PGA Tour winner's circle before the age of 21, joining an elite club that includes only Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy, Joaquín Niemann, and Tom Kim.
The Pretoria native already owns a piece of history, as he became the youngest player ever to record a victory on the Korn Ferry Tour, winning The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in January 2024 at 19 years, four months, and 11 days old.
Potgieter, of course, had a great shot to notch his maiden PGA Tour victory four months ago, as he held both the 36-hole and 54-hole lead at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, only to lose in a playoff to Brian Campbell, who took advantage of a lucky bounce on the second extra hole to claim victory.
Potgieter is naturally hoping for a different result this week. But even if he again fails to seal the deal on Sunday, it won't be long before he hoists a trophy.