SUPER ROOKIE: Potgieter assumes control after 10-under par 61

MEXICO CITY (AFP) — South African Aldrich Potgieter fired a 10-under par 61 to grab a four-stroke lead after Friday’s second round of the US PGA Tour’s Mexico Open.

The 20-year-old Pretoria-born prodigy, playing in only his 10th PGA Tour event, fired 10 birdies in a bogey-free round to stand on 16-under 126 after 36 holes at VidantaWorld resort near Puerta Vallarta.

“Really happy with today,” Potgieter said. “Started off really good with five birdies in a row on the front nine and that helped a lot to get momentum. Made a really good chip-in for par on 10 to keep the momentum going.”

Germany’s Stephan Jaeger, whose only PGA title came at last year’s Houston Open, shared second on 130 with American Brian Campbell, who like Potgieter seeks his first PGA title.

England’s Aaron Rai, whose only PGA triumph came at last year’s Wyndham Championship, was fourth on 131.

PGA Tour rookie Potgieter, The Amateur Championship winner in 2022 at Royal Lytham, would be the fifth-youngest PGA Tour winner since 1983 by taking the title.

Potgieter, who fired a 59 in a Korn Ferry developmental tour event last year, became the fourth-youngest player since 1983 to fire 61 or lower on the PGA Tour, trailing only South Korea’s Tom Kim from 2022, American Nick Dunlap last year and American Patrick Cantlay in 2011.

Potgieter, the PGA Tour’s driving distance leader, had a chance at shooting 59 but settled for pars at the par-5 14th and 18th holes.

“I made a lot of extra birdies throughout the day where that wasn’t going to hurt me,” Potgieter said.

Potgieter landed his approach inches from the hole to set up an opening birdie, then birdied the final five holes on the front nine, highlighted by a 16-foot putt at the par-3 fifth and 12-footers at the eighth and par-3 ninth.

He salvaged par at 10 with a 21-foot putt after finding water off the tee, then added a tap-in birdie at the par-5 12th and a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-3 13th.

“I was still in the zone enough to keep the par save going and keep the momentum going forward,” he said. “Just trying to give myself a 10-, 15-foot putt on every hole and try and make a birdie. If I can keep putting well I think it should be pretty good.”

Potgieter sank another birdie putt from just inside 12 feet at 15 and a final birdie from just inside 10 feet at the par-3 17th.

“I was still missing in the right spots even though I wasn’t in the fairway all the time,” he said.

“The recovery shots were really good and I was really happy with that, but the flat stick was working so I was having a lot of saves out there that kept me going.”