Although he will look back on his precipitous drop down the leaderboard in the final round of the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California, with a degree of regret, Aldrich Potgieter will know he is fitting in to the top flight of professional golf very well indeed.
Potgieter opened with a birdie to give himself a moment of soaring hope of a charge for a victory which would have got him an invitation to the Masters, he made a double-bogey on the third and six more bogeys before signing off with another birdie as he carded a closing six-over 78.
That saw him slip 13 places down the leaderboard into a share of 16th on one-under-par for the tournament. With playing conditions made very tough by wind throughout – but especially on the second and final days – it took a one-over 73 for Harris English to take the victory at eight-under from Sam Stevens.
Potgieter will know that other weeks on his rookie season on the PGA Tour will give him better conditions as spring and summer roll around. In the meantime, he’s just relishing his early ascent into the conversation about top players: “It’s just a gift from God. I’ve definitely been given a talent,” the 20-year-old prodigy said on his quick ascension in the professional ranks.
Garrick Higgo finished in a share of 42nd on three-over after a closing 74, while Erik van Rooyen and Thriston Lawrence missed the cut.
