Aldrich Potgieter made some key changes to his bag before his Rocket Classic win
Raj Mehta/Getty Images
With an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole, 20-year-old PGA Tour rookie Aldrich Potgieter became a PGA Tour champion and thus brought one of the coolest bags in pro golf into the spotlight.
Potgieter thrilled Detroit fans this week at the Rocket Classic with booming tee shots, nearly touching 200 mph, on a Detroit Golf Club course that was nearly perfect for his game.
But there were a couple of key changes the young South African made to his bag before his first win.
The first was switching to the Titleist Pro V1x+ golf ball. The Pro V1x+ is one of Titleist’s Custom Performance Option (CPO) golf ball offerings on tour, like the more commonly known Pro V1x Left Dash and Pro V1 Left Dot.
The Pro V1x+ first showed up on Tour about two years ago, and there isn’t too much Titleist has divulged about the ball they still call a prototype, but the company does say it offers more spin than the retail version of the Pro V1x, which is the spinniest ball in the Pro V1 lineup.
Extra spin was what Potgieter was looking for, and it directly ties in with the other major changes he made this week.
Before an off-week visit to the Titleist Performance Center at Woburn in the UK, Potgieter was playing with five wedges (including two pitching wedges!), Titleist 620 MB blade irons in his mid and short irons, the new fourth-generation T100 for his 4- and 5-iron and a new T250 2-iron.
But he was looking for a little more height and spin with the golf ball change, so he moved into the T100s for his mid- and short-irons and swapped his T100 long irons for T150s. In his words, this setup was much easier to hit.
How did this work? It likely starts with the golf ball. The MBs are going to spin more than the T100s for him. But with the spinnier ball, he’s able to utilize the extra forgiveness of the T100 profile without sacrificing the peak height, spin and control he had with the MBs. The same goes for the T150 long irons. When pros can get the same ball flight they get out of blades with more forgiving clubs, there’s no reason for them to play the blades anymore.
You would never think someone with prodigious speed like Potgieter would want a ball that spins more, but many pros actually seek more spin because of their optimal delivery dynamics.
The added control also allowed him to take out one of his pitching wedges, which opened up the spot for a 3-wood this week. Titleist Tour rep Liam MacDougall also added some weight to his GT2 driver head, which gave him a bit more stability and better clubface control.
But it all goes back to the golf ball and goes to show how much someone can gain from playing the right golf ball. Kudos to the Titleist Tour team for helping Potgieter to his first victory.
Keep reading below for all of Potgieter’s specs.
Aldrich Potgieter birdies fifth playoff hole to win Rocket Classic
In the final round of the 2025 Rocket Classic, Aldrich Potgieter sinks a 17-foot putt for birdie on No. 15, the fifth hole of a sudden-death playoff to claim his first win on the PGA Tour.
Aldrich Potgieter’s winning clubs at the 2025 Rocket Classic
Driver: Titleist GT2 9.0˚ Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8-X
Titleist GT2 Custom Driver
GT2 — Speed & Forgiveness Across The Face
For players who don’t always find the center of the face and need the stability of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.
Speed & Forgiveness Across The Face
Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, GT2 extracts maximum performance through forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.
Seamless Thermoform Crown
A reimagined ultra-lightweight design, born from a new Proprietary Matrix Polymer. The tunable acoustic properties of this unique composite allow Titleist engineers to realize new material gains while maintaining our signature sound and feel. All wrapped in a clean look that inspires total confidence.
Split Mass Construction
GT2 delivers a powerful balance of forgiveness and speed thanks to a breakthrough in internal weighting. Mass is shifted to the back of the clubhead to increase MOI for better stability, while also pushing weight low and forward to optimize speed and spin. The result is a driver that frees you to swing with confidence.
The Fujikura Ventus Black utilizes a Tour-inspired profile and the first to include Fujikura’s VeloCore Technology in an accelerated taper, ultra stiff tip profile. Maximum energy transfer from the tip section boosts the clubhead’s performance and a straight taper design enhances loading and feel. You can purchase the Fujikura Ventus Black in the following models: 6, 7, and 8. You can buy the Fujikura Ventus Black with the adaptor sleeve of choice built to your requires specifications.
JOCKEY TIP: The Fujikura Ventus Black is ideal for the player looking for a low launch, low spin shaft that was designed to significantly tighten shot dispersion and maximize ball speed especially on off-center shots.
3-wood: Ping G440 Max 15.0˚ Shaft: Fujkura Ventus TR Black 8-X
PING G440 Max Custom Fairway Wood
The G440 fairway family (MAX, LST, SFT) advances PING’s reputation as a Tour-preferred model of choice through a re-designed face structure and low CG system. The face is taller for more confidence off the tee while maintaining a CG location that delivers high- launching performance off the ground. The MAX model (which fits most golfers) is available in five lofts (including a new 4-wood) to provide more gapping solutions.
HIGH MOI
Easy to launch, stable design increases forgiveness.
FLEXING FACE
Maraging steel face flexes for more ball speed, optimizes spin.
TALLER FACE PROFILE
Improves performance off the tee, maintains low CG.
FREE-HOSEL DESIGN
Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness.
Irons: Titleist 2025 T250 2-iron, 2025 T150 4-5 iron, 2025 T100 6-9 iron Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT Hybrid 90 TX (2), KBS V10 130 X (4-9)
Titleist 2023 T200 Custom Irons
The Tour-proven player’s distance iron, with the ideal shape, performance, and dramatically enhanced feel.With the new T200, distance has never felt so good. Built with a forged face, hollow-body construction and shaped by Tour technologies, it delivers incredible launch and forgiveness in a pure player’s design.T200 represents a dramatic leap forward in feel. The entire internal construction of this forged-face iron has been reengineered – with a more stable chassis, refined Max Impact Technology and a new dual taper face – to deliver maximum speed with Tour-level feel.
ENHANCED FEEL
Every component of T200 contributes to its solid feel. The reengineered chassis creates a stiffer structure, while allowing the refined Max Impact Technology to fit tighter against the new dual taper forged face. This leads to better feel and performance across the entire surface.
CLEAN AND CONFIDENT SHAPE
For all that has changed, the Tour-inspired shape of T200 remains consistent. Players will still draw confidence from a distance iron that looks clean and has less offset, with an optimal blade length and topline thickness based on player feedback.
EFFORTLESS TURF INTERACTION
Working with Tour Pros as well as the grind experts at Vokey Design, our engineers were able to further improve our Variable Bounce Sole by softening the trail edge to allow the club to flow faster through the turf, even after contact. Developed for T100, it brings a Tour touch to T200.
BETTER TUNGSTEN FOR BETTER SCORING
By utilizing dense D18 tungsten and a 2000º aerospace brazing process, Titleist engineers can eliminate weld points and shift CG more precisely to optimize every club in the set – from fast, high launching long irons to accurate, forgiving short irons.
T150 is built on the same fully forged platform as T100 but engineered to be faster and longer. Now with a more confidence-inducing shape and improved forgiveness.Inspired by the player’s performance and feel of T100 but forged into a more confidence-inducing shape, T150 is a modern Tour iron with dialed-up speed for players seeking a little more distance.T150 is everything players love about T100, only more. The fully forged feel and precise flighting – in 2-degree stronger lofts – offer outstanding touch and control, while the refined Muscle Channel and updated shape enhance feel, forgiveness and player confidence.
ENHANCED FEEL AND CONSISTENCY
Engineered to provide added speed, the refined Muscle Channel in T150 sits close to the face to create a more solid feel. A new precision CNC face milling process eliminates imperfections in the surface for more precise contact and control, all driving towards more consistent play.
SHAPED TO SUIT THE PLAYER
Based on player feedback, T150 presents an optimized topline that inspires confidence over the ball. The slightly larger shape provides just the right amount of forgiveness, while still maintaining a compact, Tour-inspired look. Everything sets up for winning iron play.
EFFORTLESS TURF INTERACTION
Working with Tour Pros and the grind experts at Vokey Design, our engineers were able to further improve our Variable Bounce Sole by softening the trailing edge to allow the club to flow faster through the turf, even after contact. Developed for T100, it brings a Tour touch to T150.
BETTER TUNGSTEN FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE
By utilizing dense D18 tungsten and a 2000º aerospace brazing process, Titleist engineers can eliminate weld points and be more precise with CG placement. You get outstanding MOI and launch dynamics from a solid, fully forged design.
The preferred iron for more touring pros now rewards players with an even more solid feel, along with subtle refinements that continue to make T100 the standard for modern Tour iron performance.Feel is essential for the best players in the game. The refined, fully forged dual-cavity construction of Titleist T100 produces a more solid feel at impact, while the precision CNC face milling process leads to more consistent contact for greater control.
ENHANCED FEEL
The latest evolution of the T100 dual-cavity forged construction features an enhanced back bar to produce a more solid feel at impact. Informed by modal testing and Tour input, T100 irons are tuned to provide the exact stability and sensation the world’s best players desire from a well-struck shot.
REFINED FOR GREATER CONTROL
In addition to the improvements made to the body construction, T100 benefits from a new precision CNC face milling process. Combined with a subtle shift in CG the result is more control and consistent ball flight, especially when moving from fairway to first cut.
EFFORTLESS TURF INTERACTION
Working with Tour Pros and the grind experts at Vokey Design, our engineers were able to further improve our Variable Bounce Sole by smoothing and softening the trailing edge to allow the club to flow faster through the turf, even after contact. A simple but surprisingly meaningful improvement.
BETTER TUNGSTEN FOR BETTER FLIGHT
By utilizing dense D18 tungsten and a 2000º aerospace brazing process, Titleist engineers can eliminate weld points and be more precise with CG placement to give you the benefit of modern engineered performance with a solid forged feel.
The K Grind has a long-standing place in the Vokey lineup, originally crafted by Master Craftsman Bob Vokey with input from top players. Known as the ultimate bunker club, its wide flange and subtle camber create a forgiving, smooth surface, ideal for sand shots.
The K* Grind represents an evolution of the original K, designed in response to feedback from today’s players who seek versatility on firmer courses. It’s based on the Low Bounce K, with modifications like heel-to-toe relief for open-face shots and pre-wear to reduce digging on square-face shots.
This new design allows the club to sit closer to the ground when opened, improving greenside performance while retaining the reliable bunker play of the original K Grind. The K* Grind is available in 58° and 60° lofts (RH only) with a Raw finish.
STUDIO CARBON STEEL (SCS) FACE INSERT
Designed to deliver the unmistakably soft sound and feel of carbon steel, the new precision milled Studio Carbon Steel (SCS) insert is treated with an electroless nickel plating for enhanced durability in a re-engineered concept that includes the line’s new chain-link face milling technology and aerospace-inspired vibration damping for tuned sound, feel and performance.
CHAIN-LINK FACE MILLING TECHNOLOGY
New chain-link face milling technology reduces the putter face insert’s touch points at impact with the ball using a texture that softens the sound and provides tour-preferred roll characteristics while preserving feel and feedback off the putter face.
FULL CONTACT SLIM GRIP
With a comfortable chain-link texture to match the new putter face milling pattern, the custom crafted Full Contact Slim paddle-style grip was designed to complement the stroke and performance of blade and mid-mallet putters. Its uniquely contoured profile and flat top provide superior comfort and contact between the hands and the putter, and enhanced body alignment.
Full cord. Full firmness. ZGrip is designed for golfers in search of more answers. Our distinct, deep “Z” shaped texture and full cotton cord combine to deliver our firmest grip yet. Get maximum feedback on every shot and confidence in all conditions.
Jack Hirsh is the Associate Equipment Editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.
