Young stars are taking over the headlines of the golf community. A few months ago it was 15-year-old Miles Russell that the fans went gaga about, and now it is Aldric Potgieter. He is all the hype this year, first gaining international attention in 2022 by winning The Amateur Championship at just 17 years old, making him one of the youngest to ever win the prestigious title. Here is all you need to know about the golfing prodigy.

Aldrich Potgieter’s early life

Potgieter was born on September 13, 2004, in Mossel Bay. His parents are Heinrich Potgieter and Adele Potgieter. They are all of South African origin. Since the 20-year-old keeps his life private, not much is known about his parents, except for the fact that they raised him with a passion for golf and are responsible for his recurring success at such an early age. Much like most of the other successful professionals, he started early. 

When Aldrich was eight years old, his parents, Aldrich, decided to move to Perth, Australia, where he joined the junior academy of a major champion and a fellow South African professional golfer, Louis Oosthuizen. He trained a lot there. He highly credits the academy, along with his parents, for helping him learn about the intricacies of golf.

The golfer’s family stayed in Australia for almost a decade and then moved back to South Africa. Aldrich Potgieter was just 17 at the time, and this move marked the beginning of him looking forward to working hard enough to become a professional and make it to the PGA Tour. Potgieter completed his education at Kingsway Christian College and was also an integral part of their golf program.

Potgeiter’s amateur golfing journey

Aldrich Potgieter did not have a great start to begin with. The 20-year-old was ranked as low as 6,000th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. However, things started to take a turn after two years. In 2020, he bagged a win at the South Australian Junior Masters with an impressive nine-stroke lead. This victory was what changed his career completely, and people started recognizing his name. This stood out to be the beginning of a rapid rise in his career.

He continued with his exceptional gameplay in 2021. He managed to clinch the trophy at the Western Australian Amateur and finished as a runner-up in the Australian Boys’ Amateur. There was no looking back for him after that. In the same year, he bagged another win at the Western Australian Amateur, which made him one of the top amateur players in his country. He also finished as the runner-up in the prestigious Australian Boys’ Amateur, which made his reputation solid as a rising star in the golf community.

A year later, in 2022, he managed to stand out and win both the Nomads South African Juniors International and the Nomads South African Boys U19 Championship. This only added another feather to his already illustrious hat. This same year, he achieved a true career milestone. The young star became the second youngest winner of the Amateur Championship by beating Sam Bairstow at the Royal Lytham and St Annes. This was not the only feat that he achieved. The 20-year-old became only the third South African to win at the prestigious event.

When did Aldrich Potgieter turn professional?

Aldrich Potgeiter debuted on the PGA Tour at the Open Championship in 2022, where he missed a cut after scoring over par for the first two rounds. However, in 2023, he had his best major finish. After missing a cut at the Masters that year, Aldrich Potgeiter began with an impressive 70 opening-round score at the third major of the season. After rounds of 62-74-79, he finished in the 64th position, and well, this was what brought him closer to his dreams. He even ranked on top of the driving distances standing at Los Angeles Country Club that week, averaging a mammoth 336 yards off the tee.

A few weeks after the best major finish, he turned professional in June 2023. Aldrich Potgieter secured his first professional victory in January 2024, winning the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour. This triumph also made him the youngest winner in Korn Ferry history, surpassing the previous record held by Jason Day.

He has yet to get a full-time card on the PGA Tour and is fighting hard for it. With the momentum that he is in at this moment, there is no doubt that Potgieter will soon be able to crack the nut.