The post PXG makes another tour staff splash with Aldrich Potgieter signing appeared first on Golf.

The post PXG makes another tour staff splash with Aldrich Potgieter signing appeared first on Golf.

If this gear-free agent season has seemed quiet, you haven’t been paying attention to PXG.

The company made the only major signing of the new year when it announced that PGA Tour rookie Marco Penge joined its Tour staff last week. Now, PXG has added another big acquisition in the form of reigning PGA Tour rookie of the year Aldrich Potgieter. He was previously with Titleist.

“Last season showed me what it takes to compete out here,” Potgieter said in a press release. “I’m focused on getting better every week, and PXG gives me the tools and support to do that. The equipment performs, the process is straightforward, and that’s exactly what I’m looking for.”

Potgieter led the PGA Tour in driving distance last season at 325 yards a tee shot, which means PXG will now have two of the longest young stars on the PGA Tour on staff. Penge led the DP World Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee and averaged 319 yards.

PXG also now has the last two winners of the PGA Tour ROTY award, with Potgieter joining 2024 winner Eric Cole. That doesn’t include Penge, who is the leading favorite to win the award this year.

“Aldrich didn’t just have a good rookie year – he set a standard,” PXG Founder and CEO Bob Parsons said. “He’s disciplined, powerful, and knows what he wants out of his equipment. That clarity and competitiveness make him a great fit for PXG as he takes the next step in his career.”

PXG 0311T GEN8 Custom Irons

$249.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PXG

Potgieter will play the company’s new Lightning Tour driver as well as PXG’s Secret Weapon mini driver, GEN8 X driving iron, GEN8 0311 T 4-iron, 0317 ST 5-9 irons, Sugar Daddy 46 & 60 wedges and the Brandon Tour putter. Notably, Potgieter is still listed on Titleist’s website as a “Golf ball player.”

This is probably the final major equipment signing ahead of the 2026 season. It has been quiet, but PXG has been a big winner. The company is making a big bet on young talent, and it potentially could have the last three winners of the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award on its staff.

Gear changes are always fickle and worth following, but it is worth noting that both Penge and Potgieter will have a constant golf ball from last season, which helps to bring some consistency.

But with both Potgieter, Penge and Cole, PXG is sending a message that they will be relevant among the game’s best for years to come.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post PXG makes another tour staff splash with Aldrich Potgieter signing appeared first on Golf.

The post Lexi’s close call, Paddy’s In-N-Out, Airbnb checkout time | Monday Finish appeared first on Golf.

The post Lexi’s close call, Paddy’s In-N-Out, Airbnb checkout time | Monday Finish appeared first on Golf.

Welcome back to the Monday Finish, where we’re planning on eagles for July 4th but fireworks seem more likely. To the news…

GOLF STUFF I LIKE

Overcoming adversity.

We relish in professional golf’s underdog stories. Unlikely backgrounds, unlikely comebacks, unlikely shots in pressure-packed moments.

But on Sunday Aldrich Potgieter overcame something far more relatable: the early Airbnb checkout time.

Anybody who’s ever gone anywhere on a weekend trip knows this struggle. You’ve got a late flight but time to kill, or you’re playing Sunday morning golf but have nowhere to change post-round, or you’re scrambling after a big Saturday night to somehow clean up your mess and rouse your most useless buddy before the cleaners arrive. (Looking at you, Matt.) Or, in this case, you’re leading a PGA Tour event by two shots, but it’s midsummer, so you don’t tee off until mid-afternoon.

“Waking up this morning was kind of difficult. I had to book out of my AirBnB at 10 o’clock,” Potgieter said. He dutifully followed those directions, perhaps storing up good karma in the process, but because he didn’t want to be at the course until noon, the 20-year-old South African did what plenty of us might do to while away a couple hours: he stopped at a coffee shop — and overdid it. “That got me a little shaky,” he said later with a laugh. “No, it was okay. I kind of struggled to eat a little bit, the nerves kicked in when I got here kind of sitting at player dining, but I think that’s just kind of normal and kind of have to get through that.”

Normal is right. And get through it he did. Potgieter had already experienced Sunday Tour contention; he was in the mix on Sunday at the Farmers but faded with a final-round 78 and, in his next start, lost in a playoff at the Mexico Open. Then he saw just how tough the Tour can be: he missed seven of his next eight cuts. Then came a T6 at the Charles Schwab Challenge — and then, after several weeks at home spending time with family, he triumphed in five playoff holes for his maiden PGA Tour victory.

“I thought I didn’t hit enough balls at home, I could have done a little bit more work, but it’s nice to kind of see some results coming from [his recent] club fitting and having some time off to breathe a bit.”

It was a reminder that golf isn’t a game of perfect — it’s a game of dealing with challenges as they arise. Like Sunday nerves, early wake-ups or overcaffeination. And with Potgieter’s newly acquired $1.8 million winner’s check, here’s betting he can afford a late checkout fee going forward.

WINNERS

Who won the week?

Aldrich Potgieter won the Rocket Classic in a five-hole playoff over Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk. His only regret? Tossing the winning ball to a fan.

“I was just pumped up. I know my grandma’s probably going to be quite mad at me. I give her all my stuff that I’ve won with, so she’s not going to be pretty happy,” he said.

Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im won the Dow Championship — the LPGA’s only team event — on the first playoff hole over Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang. While Lee and Im have 11 combined victories on the Korean LPGA, this was the first victory for either on the LPGA.

Patrick Reed won LIV Golf’s Dallas event in a playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole, securing his first victory on the Saudi-backed circuit and stirring up suggestions that he could enter the U.S. Ryder Cup team discussion.

Adrien Saddier won the Italian Open, his first win in his 200th DP World Tour start; the win was his first pro victory at any level since 2016 and qualified him for the Open, too.

And Padraig Harrington won the U.S. Senior Open for the second time, another win on the Champions Tour circuit to add to his three major titles in 2007-08.

“It kind of validates your career,” Harrington said. “It validates the past in a lot of ways. You’re reliving the past glories, hitting shots, waving at the crowds. People are coming out because they know you from the past.”

NOT WINNERS

But agonizingly close…

Lexi Thompson nearly broke her six-year winless drought in dramatic fashion; she and partner Megan Khang shot a final-round 60 at the team-tournament Dow Championship and fell in a playoff.

“I think for someone with a limited schedule…” Khang said post-round before Thompson cut her off.

“You almost said it,” she said, referencing Thompson’s hard-to-label, not-actually-a “retirement” which has led to plenty of good play.

After falling to Potgieter on the fifth playoff hole, Max Greyserman now has four runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour but hasn’t yet broken through. His summation:

“Handled myself really well, hit a lot of good shots under pressure all day from the start. Being at the top of the leaderboard in the final group — I’ve been in the final group once or twice before, but just to get that experience is good.

“I started the day two back. Obviously wish I could have had a few shots back or a few putts, but hit a couple good putts at the end with pretty decent speed and sometimes putts don’t go in.”

Chris Kirk’s playoff bogey knocked him out first; he finished T2 alongside Greyserman.

The rest of the leaderboard was densely packed with emergent names like Michael Thorbjornsen and Jake Knapp (T2) and Jackson Suber and Nico Echavarria (T6). Tournament favorite Collin Morikawa, who announced a caddie split earlier in the week, finished T8, three shots outside the playoff.

Sergio Garcia finished high enough to stay inside LIV’s top five and will earn a spot in the Open as a result. And Jon Rahm finished T11 — remarkably, his first LIV result outside the top 10.

SHORT HITTERS

5 notable made (and missed) cuts.

We’re not handing out participation trophies here — but we are giving shoutouts to some guys who played four rounds and sending our condolences to a couple fellas falling short.

1. Aaron Wise finished T51, which might not seem like much until you realize it was his first made cut on the PGA Tour since May 2023.

2. Here was Will Gordon, needing birdie-birdie to make an emotional cut to keep his card — and delivering (more here):

3. Finishing T67 at week’s end: Gordon Sargent, the mega-talent out of Vandy who earned his PGA Tour card last year but struggled with his game enough this year that he was dropped from their starting lineup. His first made cut as a pro is worth celebrating.

4. Rickie Fowler‘s 71-71 week left him well outside the six-under cut line and has him hovering around another line: the Top-70-Make-the-Playoffs number. He was No. 69 entering the week; now he’s No. 72. There will be plenty of interesting churn come playoff time.

5. Alex Noren is among the top 50 players from last year currently outside this year’s top 100; he missed the start of the season with a hamstring injury and is now outside the top 150, while Will Zalatoris (also injured, No. 118) and Adam Hadwin (No. 120) are the others not otherwise secure in their status for 2026. (Others like Max Homa, Sahith Theegala and Nick Dunlap still have winners exemptions that will give them some status for next season.)

RYDER CUP WATCH

No movement?!

Neither top 12 saw any movement; Potgieter is from South Africa and therefore not eligible. Greyserman made the most significant move up from No. 37 to 28, and he’s an intriguing theoretical for Bethpage — big hitter, hot putter, from New Jersey — but still a few high finishes away from that conversation. Keegan Bradley shot under par all four rounds and finished T41, which says more about the tournament setup than his theoretical player-captain readiness.

Patrick Reed made the biggest statement with his LIV win; it would be interesting to see how U.S. leadership would handle his candidacy if he made noise in his next few tournaments, too.

On the European side, Thorbjorn Olesen jumped Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen into No. 15; Frenchmen Martin Couvra and Adrien Saddier moved into No. 24 and No. 26, respectively. Here’s where we now stand:

TEAM USA RYDER CUP RANKINGS

1. Scheffler 2. Schauffele 3. Spaun 4. Henley 5. DeChambeau 6. Thomas 7. Morikawa 8. Griffin 9. Bradley 10. English 11. McNealy 12. Harman 13. Novak 14. Cantlay 15. Burns

TEAM EUROPE RYDER CUP RANKINGS

1. McIlroy 2. Fleetwood 3. Hatton 4. MacIntyre 5. Lowry 6. Straka 7. R. Hojgaard 8. Aberg 9. Rose 10. Hovland 11. Detry 12. Wallace 13. Norgaard 14. Rai 15. Olesen

Complete standings here.

ONE SWING THOUGHT

Padraig Harrington on enjoying competitive golf.

The newest U.S. Senior Open champ dished on how he’s changed:

“I would have done some things different when I was younger for sure. I don’t regret how I approached the game and the way I went about it, but certainly I now appreciate more how much effort it takes to play on a Sunday compared to every other day.

“If you want to win tournaments, you’ve got to be exceptionally fresh and mentally fresh on Sunday. You’ve got to have the least amount of stress all the way you can during the week.

“Literally, probably just because of the nature of it, I definitely make an effort to enjoy my tournaments more, enjoy what’s going on around them. It’s not all work. And having your family here is part of that.

“Like, on Wednesday night? I went for an In-n-Out burger. I didn’t eat a french fry or a burger for 10, 15 years of my career. It was all about everything was get the right diet, all that sort of thing. But the start of this tournament, I actually had two double-doubles.

“You might think that’s not the best in terms of everything should be perfect, but at this stage of my career, I’ve got to enjoy my life out here. Opportunities like that to — when you come from Ireland, you don’t get the opportunity to go for an In-n-Out burger too often, so that was a nice bonus.

“I’m a more relaxed person. Still not relaxed, but more relaxed than I was as a younger player.”

ONE BIG QUESTION

Who’s gonna make a move at the John Deere?

This is the strongest field at the Deere in years, featuring big-name players (Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, Sungjae Im), red-hot players (Aldrich Potgieter, Ben Griffin) and even top college players (Michael La Sasso, 2025 Division I national champion, and Jackson Koivun, the game’s top-ranked male amateur). Somebody’s going to move into playoff position. Somebody’s going to qualify for the Open last-minute. Somebody’s going to raise a little Ryder Cup noise — at least for a day or two. Who will those somebodies be?

ONE THING TO WATCH

Carlos Alcaraz, working on his move:

It’s Wimbledon Szn. And also PGA Tour-players-show-up-at-Wimbledon Szn. See you there.

NEWS FROM SEATTLE

Monday Finish HQ.

I’m off to the East Coast this week to see some family and dive headfirst into the humidity. Let’s see how the 1-year-old likes New Hampshire’s finest black flies and thunderstorms…can’t wait!

We’ll see you next week.

Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.

The post Lexi’s close call, Paddy’s In-N-Out, Airbnb checkout time | Monday Finish appeared first on Golf.

The post Aldrich Potgieter thrives with Titleist GT2 driver. Here’s why you should try it appeared first on Golf.

The post Aldrich Potgieter thrives with Titleist GT2 driver. Here’s why you should try it appeared first on Golf.

Aldrich Potgieter made wholesale changes to his bag before his first PGA Tour victory, but make no mistake, it was his play with a Titleist GT2 driver that turned heads at the Rocket Classic.

Potgieter, the PGA Tour’s leader in driving distance on the season, was first in the category again this week in Detroit, averaging an eye-popping 337 yards off the tee while finding 64 percent of his fairways. He was seventh in strokes gained: off-the-tee (3.7), and he set himself up to miss just 11 greens all week (66/77, including the playoff). He was 6th in strokes gained: approach (6.07).

In the past for Titleist driver players, you’d see speed demons like Potgieter, who averages nearly 126 mph clubhead speed and a gaudy 190 mph ball speed, play Titleist’s “3” or maybe even “4” heads, which were designed for low spin.

But this year, far more players have fit into the GT2 model than the previous TSR2 or TSi2.

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.

$649.00 $449.99 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Titleist

The GT2’s shape has been refined to look a lot closer to the 3, to the point where Billy Horschel didn’t even know he was testing the GT2 when he was introduced to it. But also thanks to Titleist’s new Proprietary Matrix Polymer and Seamless Thermoform Crown, engineers were able to free up mass from the crown to help make the GT2 both more stable and lower spinning than before.

GT2 is still the higher spinning driver in Titleist’s lineup, although not as high as the GT1, but that’s actually something Potgieter needs despite his prolific speed.

The 20-year-old rookie also switched balls to the prototype Pro V1x+, which is a higher spinning version of the Pro V1x golf ball, this week to seek higher peak heights with his irons.

“We needed some more spin to keep the ball in the air a little bit,” Potgieter said about his gear changes this week. “You wouldn’t have thought that with the driving distance to add more spin, but it kind of keeps the ball in the air a little bit longer.”

Potgieter also made another change to his GT2 this week, which is outfitted with a beefy Fujikura Ventus Black 8-X, a shaft more commonly found in 5- and 7-woods on the PGA Tour. During a trip earlier this month to the Titleist Performance Center at Woburn in the UK, Titleist Director of Tour Promotions Liam MacDougall added weight to the head of Potgieter’s driver. According to MacDougall, the heavier setup gave Potgieter more stability and better clubface control, which helped him to one of his best driving accuracy weeks of the season.

While you probably don’t have the same game as Potgieter, the GT2 could be a great option for players seeking a forgiving low-spin option off the tee. Check it out today on Fairway Jockey, and while we don’t typically make shaft recommendations in this space, I think we can safely guess you can leave the Ventus Black 8-X out of your order.

Want to dial in your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Aldrich Potgieter thrives with Titleist GT2 driver. Here’s why you should try it appeared first on Golf.

The post Aldrich Potgieter’s clubs: Inside his Rocket Classic-winning setup appeared first on Golf.

The post Aldrich Potgieter’s clubs: Inside his Rocket Classic-winning setup appeared first on Golf.

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.

Wedges

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’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.

$649.00 $449.99 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

Fujikura Ventus Black Wood Shaft (Previous Gen)

  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.

$350.00 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

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. 

$369.00 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

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)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM10 (46.10F, 50.12F, 54.10S), Vokey WedgeWorks 60K*
Shafts: KBS V10 130 X (46-50), Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx X100 (54-60)

Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks SM10 K* Grind Custom Wedge

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.

$225.00 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M Tour Prototype

Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport Custom Putter

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.

$499.00 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

Ball: 2023 Pro V1x+

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

Golf Pride Z Grip Cord

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.

$11.99 from Golf Pride

Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Aldrich Potgieter’s clubs: Inside his Rocket Classic-winning setup appeared first on Golf.

The post 2025 Rocket Classic payout: Here’s how much every player made appeared first on Golf.

The post 2025 Rocket Classic payout: Here’s how much every player made appeared first on Golf.

The 2025 Rocket Classic has been all about going low.

After a brutal stretch of the schedule that included the 2025 Memorial Tournament and the U.S. Open, the PGA Tour returned to its low-scoring roots and the players embraced the birdies at Detroit Golf Club.

Min Woo Lee broke the course record in Round 1, but that number was bested a few hours later by Kevin Roy and Aldrich Potgieter. Jake Knapp bested that mark a day later.

It all added up to a packed leaderboard that saw Potgieter enter Sunday’s final round with a two-shot lead. However, the rookie knew that whoever went low again on the final day would be the one leaving the Motor City with a trophy and the $1.728 million winner’s check.

Several notable names started Sunday within arm’s reach of Potgieter, including Collin Morikawa, Jake Knapp, Chris Kirk and Max Greyserman.

Kirk and Greyserman both caught Potgieter midway through Sunday, and all three had a chance to win the tournament on the 18th hole. But all three missed birdie chances to send the 2025 Rocket Classic to a playoff.

On the first playoff hole, Kirk missed a nine-foot birdie putt to win. On the second playoff hole, Greyserman missed a 10-foot birdie putt to clinch the trophy. Kirk missed a three-footer for par on the second playoff hole to end his tournament hopes.

The playoff continued until the fifth playoff hole when Potgieter rolled in a 17-foot birdie putt to clinch his first-ever PGA Tour win.

Check out below for a breakdown of what everyone in the field earned this week in Detroit.

What every player made at the 2025 Rocket Classic:

Win. Aldrich Potgieter, $1.728 million

T2. Max Greyserman, $854,400
Chris Kirk, $854,400

T4. Michael Thorbjornsen. $432,000
Jake Knapp, $432,000

T6. Jackson Suber, $336,000
Nico Echavarria, $336,000

T8. Thirston Lawrence, $261,600
Kevin Roy, $261,600
Matt Fitzpatrick, $261,600
Collin Morikawa, $261,600
Andrew Putnam, $261,600

T13. Min Woo Lee, $172,000
Hideki Matsuyama, $172,000
Chandler Phillips, $172,000
Ben Griffin, $172,000
Harry Hall, $172,000
Mark Hubbard, $172,000

T19: Sami Valimaki, $117,984
Matt McCarty, $117,984
Chan Kim, $117,984
Cameron Champ, $117,984
Doug Ghim, $117,984

T24: Harry Higgs, $88,800
Nicolai Hjogaard, $88,800

T26. Akshay Bhatia, $70,080
Michael Kim, $70,080
Matthew Riedel, $70,080
Jacob Bridgeman, $70,080
Chris Gotterup, $70,080
Chad Ramey, $70,080

T32. Patrick Cantlay, $58,560
Vince Whaley, $58,560

T34. Davis Thompson, $47,931
William Mouw, $47,931
Lee Hodges, $47,931
Hayden Springer, $47,931
Philip Knowles, $47,931
Joe Highsmith, $47,931
Kris Ventura, $47,931

T41. Keegan Bradley, $36,000
Luke List, $36,000
Ryan Gerard, $36,000
Thorbjorn Olesen, $36,000
Peter Malnati, $36,000

T46. Matt Wallace, $27,091
Takumi Kanaya, $27,091
Gary Woodland, $27,091
Cameron Young, $27,091
Justin Lower, $27,091

T51. Victor Perez, $22,709
Nick Hardy, $22,709
Henrik Norlander, $22,709
Lanto Griffin, $22,709
Aaron Wise, $22,709
Webb Simpson, $22,709
Will Gordon, $22,709
Thomas Rosenmueller, $22,709
Kurt Kitayama, $22,709

T60. Beau Hossler, $21,024
Isaiah Salinda, $21,024
Luke Clanton, $21,024
Byeong Hun An, $21,024
Austin Eckroat, $21,024
Ryo Hisatsune, $21,024
Paul Peterson, $21,024

T67. Davis Riley, $19,776
Gordon Sargent, $19,776
David Skinns, $19,776
Camilo Villegas, $19,776
Ben Silverman, $19,776
Brett White, $19,776

T73. James Piot, $18,729
Kevin Velo, $18,729
Antoine Rozner, $18,729
Emiliano Grillo, $18,729
Kaito Onishi, $18,729

T78. Adam Hadwin, $17,856
Ben Kohles, $17,856
Quade Cummins, $17,856
Erik van Rooyen, $17,856

T82. Zach Johnson, $17,280
Harrison Endycott, $17,280

84. Si Woo Kim, $16,992

85. Mason Andersen, $16,800

86. Cristobal Del Solar, $16,608

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The post Thrilling Mexico Open playoff highlighted this wild stat appeared first on Golf.

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The Mexico Open may not be a PGA Tour Signature Event, but that doesn’t mean it was short on entertainment value. And by late in the afternoon on Sunday, fans tuning into the action at VidantaWorld were on the edge of their seats as the action headed for extra holes between two contrasting talents.

In one corner was the long-hitting 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter. The former British Amateur champ is the youngest player on Tour and is widely considered a can’t-miss prospect because of his prodigious length off. the tee. Opposite Potgieter was the journeyman Brian Campbell, a 31-year-old former standout at the University of Illinois who’s toiled away on development tours for much of his career.

Each of the two was searching for his first Tour victory on Sunday and each posted 20-under through 72 holes. But watching them side-by-side, they oftentimes looked like they were playing different sports.

You see, Potgieter, the burly South African, is the longest hitter on Tour, averaging 326.9 yards per poke. In an age dominated by distance, he has the prototypical skillset needed for domination. Campbell, on the other hand, is not a bomber. In fact, he’s the shortest hitter on Tour, averaging 277.8 yards per drive. There may be no two different playing styles than Campbell and Potgieter.

The playoff at VidantaWorld was a study in contrast — and it wasn’t just apparent to those watching from home.

“It’s hard to look at a guy next to you hitting it 60 to 80 yards past you,” Campbell said. “But you’ve really just got to stay focused on what you’re there to do and do the best you can.”

Campbell stayed true to his word as he outlasted Potgieter and won the tournament with a birdie on the second playoff hole. But he needed a little luck to get there.

On the second extra hole, Campbell flared his drive (at just 163 mph of ball speed) well right off the fairway. The shot appeared to be heading directly out of bounds, but thanks to an excellent bounce off a tree branch, it caromed back toward the fairway.

“Yeah, that was not by design,” Campbell said. “I don’t recommend going right on that tee shot. I was very fortunate to get the bounce, still in play and then got myself back in position.”

He didn’t let the fortunate break go to waste. After pushing his next shot up into the fairway in wedge distance, he stuffed his final approach to within three feet to set up his winning birdie. After Potgieter missed a short try of his own, the journeyman Campbell at last had a putt to finally break through.

“It’s really hard to put it into words,” Campbell said. “You play so hard, you put your heart out there, you grind not just four days but really all week long we’re out here. So to have it culminate like this has just been really special.”

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All PGA Tour rookie Isaiah Salinda wanted to do Sunday at the 2025 Mexico Open at VidantaWorld was give himself a chance.

Entering Sunday, it seemed unlikely that Salinda, who entered the day seven shots back of 54-hole leader Aldrich Potgieter, could mount a realistic charge toward his first career PGA Tour win. But golf often delivers the unexpected.

The former Stanford standout went out in 2-under-par before carding four birdies on the back nine to shoot a bogey-free 65 and get in the clubhouse at 19-under. When Salinda made his nine-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, he was the leader in the clubhouse and tied with Potgieter and Brian Campbell, who still had three holes to play.

Salinda signed his card and watched nervously as Potgieter and Campbell hit nervy shot after nervy shot down the stretch.

It looked for a moment like Salinda might sneak into a playoff at 19-under, but both Potgieter and Campbell birdied the 18th hole to post 20-under and hand Salinda a third-place finish. Campbell would go on to beat Potgieter on the second playoff holes with some help from the golf gods.

While Salinda’s valiant charge came up short, it was still a successful week for the former amateur star at Vidanta Vallarta. With the third-place finish, Salinda jumps to second place in the Aon Swing 5 — one spot behind Potgieter — and has the inside track to earn a ticket to the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in two weeks.

“Played a great round,” Salinda said on Sunday. “Obviously, a little disappointed that it came up just one shot short. To at least give myself a chance was all I wanted to do today. I thought honestly being however many back I was, like seven, I knew it was a long shot. Yeah, I can’t be too upset about it. I played a good round and just came up one shot short.

“Top-10s are huge out here. That was kind of my primary goal going into today, just to lock up a top-10 and get into next week, hopefully Players and Bay Hill, and all those events.”

Salinda was an accomplished junior golfer and earned second-team All-American honors as a senior at Stanford while helping the Cardinal win the NCAA Division I men’s golf title.

Sunday’s finish was Salinda’s best in his PGA Tour career, and it was his first top-10 finish since he recorded a T7 at the 2023 Shriners Children’s Open.

Like Salinda, Potgieter played himself into next week’s Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches. But while Salinda is looking to ride his hot play, the 20-year-old South African might take a different approach since he sits atop the Aon Swing 5 and should be locked into the API.

Potgieter held the 36-hole lead after shooting a sizzling 61 on Friday. But he shot just 4-under on the weekend and was eventually tracked down by Campbell.

Potgieter is a prodigious driver, but other parts of his game let him down as the intensity ratcheted up. He hopes to take the lessons learned in a heartbreaking loss in Vallarta and turn them into a map to success for the next time he’s in the cauldron.

“Pressure’s a big thing,” Potgieter said after losing in a playoff to Campbell. “You can’t really beat it. You just have to learn and adjust to it next time you’re in this position again. I’m really happy with how I played this week and trying to do that the following week, I guess. If you told me I would get second place before the week started, I would definitely have taken it. We’re just happy to have gotten into a playoff. The way I played today wasn’t my best, and I was having to chase the whole time. It was nice to see some good results in the last five, six holes of the tournament.”

The 2025 Mexico Open lacked star power, but it showcased several of the PGA Tour’s newest players who just arrived via the Korn Ferry Tour pathway.

Campbell, a 31-year-old former top amateur, bested Potgieter and Salinda to complete an unlikely golf comeback story.

But Salinda and Potgieter didn’t leave Mexico empty-handed. They are now on the fast track to the next Signature Events and have the confidence and proof that they can contend and win at this level.

For Salinda and Potgieter, it’s a matter of when, not if.

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Golf has taken Brian Campbell for a ride over the last decade.

The 31-year-old was a top amateur at the University of Illinois a decade ago. He turned pro in 2015 and quickly raced through the Korn Ferry Tour to earn his PGA Tour card for the 2016-17 season. But professional golf punched Campbell in the mouth. He finished 180th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2017 and lost his card. Campbell has been grinding away on the Korn Ferry Tour for years.

He had good years, like when he finished 30th in the KFT points standings in 2019 and just missed a PGA Tour card by five spots. He has also had his share of struggles. Campbell finished 98th on the KFT points list in the 2020-21 season and lost his exempt status. He made just three starts in 2022 but kept chopping and rediscovered his form last season when he finished seventh on the points list and earned his way back to the PGA Tour.

All of that led to this week at the 2025 Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, where Campbell put on his best performance in his PGA Tour career.

After shooting a bogey-free 64 on Saturday, Campbell entered Sunday’s final round just one shot back of 54-hole leader Aldrich Potgieter. It was the first time in his PGA Tour career that he entered the final round in the top five.

“Awesome,” Campbell said about putting himself in contention to win on Saturday. “I mean, it’s what dreams are made of. This is why I’ve worked so hard to get back here. It’s a blessing to be here this quickly, but I’m just enjoying the moment and going to continue to do what I’ve been doing this week tomorrow and see where it takes us.”

Campbell’s Sunday was the stuff of storybook legends. He tracked down Potgieter and finally beat the young South African on the second playoff hole with the help of an extremely lucky bounce off a tree.

A win at the 2025 Mexico Open comes with all the perks of winning a PGA Tour event (two-year exemption, a spot in the Players, a spot in the Masters, a spot in the PGA Championship, etc.) and a $1.26 million check.

Check out how much every player made Sunday at Vidanta Vallarta below:

How much every player made at the 2025 Mexico Open  

(Final payouts will be updated upon conclusion of the final round)

1. Brian Campbell $1.26 million

2. Aldrich Potgieter $763,000

3. Isaiah Salinda $483,000

T4. Aaron Rai $315,000
Ben Griffin $315,00

T6. Joel Dahmen $245,000
Stephan Jaeger $245,000

8. Nicolai Hojgaard $218,750

9. Akshay Bhatia $204,750

T10. Alex Smalley $176,750
Alejandro Tosti $176, 750
Ryo Hisatsune $176, 750

T13. Danny Walker $133,000
Henrik Norlander $133,000
Michael Kim $133,000
Justin Hastings $133,000

T17. Chan Kim $89,775
Ryan Gerard $89,775
Greyson Sigg $89,775
Jose Luis Ballester Barrio $89,775
Joe Highsmith $89,775
John Pak $89,775
Steven Fisk $89,775
Kevin Roy $89,775

T25. Kris Ventura $53,783
Lanto Griffin $53,783
Jeremy Paul $53,783
Jake Knapp $53,783
Max McGreevy $53,783
Ben Kohles $53,783
Patrick Rodgers $53,783

T32. Takumi Kanaya $42,700
Quade Cummins $42,700

T34. Rasmus Hojgaard $32,040
Sami Valimaki $32,040
Taylor Moore $32,040
Rafael Campos $32,040
Niklas Norgaard $32,040
Aaron Baddeley $32,040
Jacob Bridgeman $32,040
Blades Brown $32,040
Chandler Phillips $32,040
Chad Ramey $32,040
Harry Hall $32,040

T45. Ben Martin $21,420
Kevin Yu $21,420
Hayden Springer $21,420
Taylor Montgomery $21,420

T49. Francesco Molinari $17,453
Jesper Svensson $17,453
Andrew Putnam $17,453
Thorbjorn Olesen $17,453
Noah Goodwin $17,453
Jonathan Byrd $17,453

T55. Ricky Castillo $16,240
Frankie Capan III $16,240
Scott Piercy $16,240
Antoine Rozner $16,240

T59. Erik van Rooyen $15,680
Sam Ryder $15,680
Thirston Lawrence $15,680
Adam Svensson $15,680

T63. Matt McCarty $15,260
Fred Biondi $15,260

T65. Emiliano Grillo $14,910
Mason Andersen $14,910
Santiago de la Fuente $14,910

T68. Peter Malnati $14,420
C.T. Pan $14,420
Matteo Manassero $14,420
Thomas Rosenmueller $14,420

T72. Karl Vilips $14,000
Victor Perez $14,000

74. Harry Higgs $13,790

75. Vincent Norrman $13,659

T76. David Lipsky $13,440
Riley Lewis $13,440

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The post 2025 Mexico Open Sunday tee times: Round 4 groupings appeared first on Golf.

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The final round of the 2025 Mexico Open at VidantaWorld takes place Sunday in Vallarta, Mexico. You can find full Mexico Open tee times for the final round at the bottom of this post.

Featured tee time for Round 4

Twenty-year-old South African Aldrich Poitgieter entered Saturday’s third round with a four-shot cushion after firing a second-round 61.

But Potgieter was unable to extend his lead during the third round as Brian Campbell shot a bogey-free 64 to cut the gap to one entering the final round.

Potgieter sits at 20-under-par, with Campbell right behind him at 19-under and Stephan Jaeger three shots back. Alex Smalley is five shots back in fourth place.

The long-bombing prodigy will look to stick to his gameplan at Vidanta Vallarta and put the finishing touches on his first-career PGA Tour win.

Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Campbell will begin the final round in the top five for the first time in his PGA Tour career. Once a star amateur at Illinois, Campbell has spent the last eight years on the Korn Ferry Tour before re-earning his card last year after finishing seventh in the standings. He is one round away from completing a storybook golfing comeback.

You can watch Sunday’s final round of the Mexico Open from 1-3 p.m. ET on Golf Channel, followed by NBC from 3-6 p.m. ET. You can also stream exclusive online coverage via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ starting at 8:30 a.m. ET.

You can check out the complete Round 4 tee times for the 2025 Mexico Open at VidantaWorld below.

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2025 Mexico Open tee times for Sunday: Round 4 (ET)

Tee No. 1

10:35 am – Rasmus Hojgaard, Ben Martin, Kris Ventura
10:46 am – Sami Valimaki, Ricky Castillo, Andrew Putnam
10:57 am – Henrik Norlander, Thorbjorn Olesen, Jeremy Paul
11:08 am – Ryan Gerard, Erik van Rooyen, Quade Cummins
11:19 am – Greyson Sigg, Aaron Baddeley, Hayden Springer
11:30 am – Taylor Montgomery, Blades Brown, Joe Highsmith
11:41 am- Chandler Phillips, John Pak, Noah Goodwin
11:52 am – Harry Hall. Akshay Bhatia, Michael Kim
12:03 pm – Ryo Histatsune, Steven Fisk, Kevin Roy
12:14 pm – Patrick Rodgers, Joel Dahmen, Nicolai Hojgaard
12:25 pm – Alejandro Tosti, Isaiah Salinda, Justin Hastings
12:36 pm- Alex Smalley, Aaron Rai. Ben Griffin
12:47 pm – Aldrich Potgieter, Brian Campbell, Stephan Jaeger

Tee No. 10

10:35 am – Francesco Molinari, Chan Kim, Jesper Svensson
10:46 am – Taylor Moore, Danny Walker, Rafael Campos
10:57 am – Takumi Kanaya, Niklas Norgaard, Jose Luis Ballester Barrio
11:08 am – Sam Ryder, Jake Knapp, Lanto Griffin
11:19 am – Max McGreevy, Matteo Manaassero, Jacob Bridgeman
11:30 am – Frankie Capan III, Thirston Lawrence, Victor Perez
11: 41 am – Ben Kohles, Adam Svensson, Chad Ramey
11: 52 am – Kevin Yu, Peter Malnati, Vincent Norrman
12:03 pm – Matt McCarty, Emiliano Grillo, Mason Andersen
12:14 pm – David Lipsky, Jonathan Byrd, Santiago de la Fuente
12: 25 pm – Scott Piercy, Fred Biondi, Antione Rozner
12: 36 pm – C.T. Pan, Riley Lewis, Thomas Rosenmueller
12:47 pm – Harry Higgs, Karl Vilips

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The post At the 2025 Mexico Open, an unlikely final round showdown has emerged appeared first on Golf.

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Sunday’s final round at the 2025 Mexico Open at VidantaWorld will be a day of firsts for the 54-hole leader and the man trying to track him down to complete a storybook comeback.

Twenty-year-old PGA Tour rookie Aldrich Potgieter entered Saturday’s third round with a four-shot lead after firing a second-round 61 that saw him narrowly miss making PGA Tour history. The South African prodigy and his caddie targeted 6-under-par as the third-round score that would allow them to maintain their cushion entering the final round.

But a pack of chasers, led by Stephan Jaeger and Brian Campbell, wouldn’t make it easy on the young South African.

Potgieter saw Jaegar cut his lead to one midway through the front nine, with Campbell not far behind.

But Potgieter stuck to his game plan, and birdies at 11, 12, and 14 got him to 5-under on the day and 21-under for the tournament, giving him a three-shot lead over Brian Campbell and a five-shot edge over Jaegar with three holes to play.

The 20-year-old long-hitter appeared to be in control, but he lost a tee ball way right on the par-3 17th, which led to a bogey, and then had to scramble for a par on the par-5 18th to finish the day at 20-under.

Potgieter’s late stumbles cracked the door open for Campbell, who will enter Sunday one shot back at 19-under after a closing birdie that has him in new territory entering the final round.

Sunday will be the first time that Potgieter enters the final-round cauldron with a lead in a PGA Tour career that is just 10 starts old. Potgieter played in the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines a month ago but shot a Sunday 78 to plummet out of contention and finish in a tie for 15th.

On the other end is Campbell, who is back on the PGA Tour for the first time in eight years after finishing seventh on the Korn Ferry Tour points list last season. The Mexico Open is just Campbell’s 28th career PGA Tour start. He has never had a top-10 finish, and Sunday will be the first time he will be in the top five entering the final round. He did not win in 159 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Campbell was once in Potgieter’s shoes.

Ten years ago, the 31-year-old was a star amateur at the University of Illinois. He turned pro in 2015 and quickly earned his PGA Tour card for the 2016-17 season. But he finished 180 in the FedEx Cup standings in 2017 and has been grinding on the Korn Ferry Tour ever since. Campbell almost regained his Tour card in 2019 but finished 30th on the Korn Ferry Tour points list when only the top 25 got cards. During the 2020-21 season, Campbell finished 98th on the points list and lost exempt status. He made just three starts in 2022.

In a story of resilience and grit, Campbell rediscovered his game and finally got back to the PGA Tour this season.

On Sunday, he’ll have a chance to complete a feel-good story 10 years in the making.

To do so, he’ll have to best a long-bombing prodigy in Potgieter, who is outdriving him by an average of 32 yards.

Potgieter is leading the field this week in Strokes Gained Putting (8.12) and his second in Strokes Gained Off the Tee (4.25). Campbell has done his damage in a different way, leading the field in Strokes Gained Around the Green (4.65) while being seventh in Strokes Gained Approaching the Green (5.58).

With the PGA Tour’s stars taking the week off before the Florida Swing, the 2025 Mexico Open was in need of a Sunday storyline.

It got it in Potgieter and Campbell.

One an up-and-coming star looking to announce himself in just his fourth career start. The other is a former prodigy turned wily journeyman looking to complete a return from the golf abyss.

“Awesome,” Campbell said after shooting a bogey-free 64 on Saturday. “I mean, it’s what dreams are made of. This is why I’ve worked so hard to get back here. It’s a blessing to be here this quickly, but I’m just enjoying the moment and going to continue to do what I’ve been doing this week tomorrow and see where it takes us.”

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