“It’s just a gift from God. I’ve definitely been given a talent,” said Aldrich Potgieter when asked about his swift progress in golf. As stated by the 20-year-old, he has indeed been a talent with a poster-boy physique and unbelievable distance coverage with his tee shots. Most of the golf world won’t agree that Potgieter started professionally in 2025, but yes, that’s the reality. The golfer who has been constantly crossing the 320-yard mark with his driver is a rookie on the PGA Tour.

With just a few events, he has showcased great caliber despite being a rookie. Well, all the great stuff that we see isn’t just a fluke, as the South African has been consistent with his practice and has followed it throughout since his early childhood days. Let’s explore more about his journey to know the golfer better.

Early life of Aldrich Potgieter

The 5 ft 11 in, 210 lbs golfer has been making moves with his exceptional swing. All thanks to his early exposure to the sport. Born in Middelburg, South Africa, on September 13, 2004. His parents, Heinrich Potgieter and Adele Potgieter, laid a strong foundation for the golfer since his childhood. Even though he still plays under the flag of South Africa, a major part of his life was spent thousands of miles away. Until the age of 8, he was in Middelburg, South Africa—a farming and industrial town, where he attended the Louis Oosthuizen Junior Golf Academy. However, later his family moved to Perth, Australia.

The move out of the country turned out to be a tremendous change. He started pursuing the sport seriously. He started playing full rounds of golf to beat his father. He attended Kingsway Christian College and was a part of the golf program. Surprisingly, by the age of 12, Potgieter achieved his first goal of winning against his father. After this, his journey as an amateur golfer began, and he achieved great performances.

Amateur career of the South African professional

He won the South Australian Junior Master in 2020 by a substantial lead of nine shots. This was his first win, which he recorded at the age of 16. Well, the impressive performance continued even in 2021. He won the Western Australian Amateur and was runner-up in the Australian Boys’ Amateur.

After achieving great heights and a kickstart to his career, the golfer returned to South Africa just after his 17th birthday and settled in Mossel Bay in 2021. But the achievements didn’t stop there in 2022; he won both the Nomads South African Juniors International and the Nomads SA Boys U19 Championship.

The same year, he became the second youngest winner in the history of the championship, who won the Amateur Championship. After achieving the great feat, Potgieter went against the trend and chose professional golf over college golf. For which he said, “I thought, from my view, college was like an extra four years of preparing to become professional.”

That indeed he proved with his performance at the age of 18. He finished sixth at the 2023 South African PGA Championship. Additionally, in the same year, he even won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and Georgia Cup. That began his historic run in his professional career.

Aldrich Potgieter’s professional career

The South African has won an event each year making his presence at the course strong. Even this continued until he etched his name into the history. In 2024, he won the 2024 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club and became the youngest-ever winner on the Korn Ferry Tour. He recorded 10-under 278 for a two-stroke victory against Quade Cummins and Kyle Westmoreland. With the guidance of Justin Parsons, coach, and caddie, Jake Roos.

Earlier, the golfer had Christiaan Maas as a caddie for the Royal Lytham & St Annes tournament in 2022. However, he later switched to the six-time Sunshine Tour event winner between 2008 and 2013. Apart from excelling professionally, Roos has helped Potgieter in T2 finish at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in December 2024.

Following that, the golfer has played three events in the PGA Tour calendar out of which he could only make a cut in on. Well, it didn’t just end up making the cut as he finished at the T15 position at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Will the 20-year-old golfer get his first PGA Tour victory in 2025? It seems like a close finish. What are your thoughts on it? Share with us in the comments below.