Drive for show and putt for dough is one of the more popular adages within the golf lexicon, and luckily for Aldrich Potgieter, he can do both.
The 20-year-old South African fired a 10-under 61 at the Mexican Open on Friday, relying on a dangerous combination. He is one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour and currently ranks first in driving distance among the Mexico Open field, averaging 324.5 yards off the tee. He somehow drove the 661-yard 12th hole in two, which included him hitting his driver off the deck, making this monstrous par-5 look like a walk in the park.
Then, once he reached the putting surface, he took advantage of his opportunities. He has gained nearly seven strokes on the greens thru 36 holes and ranks above everyone else in that category. He made a total of 113 feet worth of putts during Friday’s second round, a round in which he tied the course record.
“The flat stick was working,” Potgieter said after.
His short game has been working well overall. In addition to his putting prowess, he was 3-for-3 in scrambling on Friday, with no better save coming at the par-4 10th hole.
The South African smothered his drive into the water that runs down the fairway’s right side. He then had to drop for his third shot, which left him with 201 yards remaining to the flag. Potgieter then laced an iron towards the green, settling about 20 feet away, just off the pin and into the rough. He then chipped in, keeping his bogey-free round intact.
This impressive par came after he shot a 29 on the front nine, which included five consecutive birdies over the final five holes.
“I like to look at the scoreboard. It keeps me on top of it, I think,” Potgieter said.
“After that five birdies in a row stretch, and the 10th hole is a really difficult hole into the wind as well, really tight with the water on the right, I kind of knew I just had to reset and start over after nine. Ended up hitting in the water still, but I was still in the zone enough to keep the par save going and keep the momentum going forward. Just trying to give myself a 10-, 15-foot putt on every hole and try and make a birdie.”
Potgieter made four more birdies on the back nine, totaling 10 on the day, and now holds a four-shot advantage over Stephan Jaeger. If that lead remains intact until the end of the second round, Potgieter will have the largest 36-hole lead on the PGA Tour this season. His 127 score through 36 holes is also the lowest out of any player at the midway point thus far.
“I love the golf course; it definitely suits my game, I think, in a lot of aspects,” Potgieter added.
“If I can keep putting well, I think it should be pretty good.”
Nobody will stop him if he continues to putt like this. Between that and his otherworldly length, Potgieter looks unstoppable at Vidanta.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
