Aldrich Potgieter took a peek at the leaderboard before lining up his last putt on a crest of the ninth green, knowing he had to make the 12-footer for birdie to break a tie with Kevin Roy.
The putt grazed the left edge, with Potgieter missing an opportunity to cap a record-setting day by taking the outright first-round lead at the Rocket Classic on Thursday. “I was real eager to make that putt,” he said.
Potgieter and Roy each shot 10-under 62 to break the tournament 18-hole record. Detroit Golf Club has been one of the easiest courses since the PGA Tour made it an annual stop in 2019. A pair of Korn Ferry Tour graduates took full advantage.
Potgieter, the 20-year-old South African who grew up in Australia, started at the 10th and set a tournament record with a seven-under 29 on the back nine. He added three birdies on his back nine and caught the left edge on a 12-foot putt on his final hole.
Potgieter and the 35-year-old Roy each had an eagle and eight birdies in bogey-free rounds.
Min Woo Lee, Max Greyserman and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back after matching the previous tournament record of 63. Two-time major champion Zach Johnson was in the group of seven players that were two shots back.
Thriston Lawrence posted a solid five-under-par 67 for a share of 26th, with Erik van Rooyen and Garrick Higgo each carding three-under-par 69 for a share of 66th.