Former champion Charl Schwartzel and 2010 Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen will carry the hopes of Mzansi on their shoulders when the 87th Masters tees off at Augusta on Thursday, however 2022 Amateur champion Aldrich Potgieter – who completes the South African triad – received’t simply be there to take in the expertise.
The GolfRSA National Squad member earned his first journey to Augusta National courtesy of victory within the prestigious Amateur Championship final yr, which additionally secured him spots in The Open and the U.S. Open.
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In his third begin in his first journey to the United Kingdom, and on a hyperlinks course, Potgieter staked himself to a 7-up lead over England’s Sam Bairstow by means of the morning 18, then rode it to a 3-and-2 victory at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. The 17-year-old grew to become the second youngest winner within the 127-year historical past of the Amateur Championship, a yr youthful than the primary South African to carry the distinguished title, Bobby Cole, in 1966 and a yr older than the youngest, Matteo Manassero, the winner in 2009.
In the 9 months since his triumph in England. Potgieter has remained on the rise and the Mossel Bay teen arrived in Augusta with some nice type.
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He went wire-to-wire at Sage Valley Golf Club, enjoying in opposition to a few of the greatest juniors on the earth within the restricted discipline Junior Invitational, and received by 10 strokes, and every week later, defeated reigning U.S. Amateur champion Sam Bennett 5-up to carry the Georgia Cup title at The Golf Club Georgia.
“The trip in the United States has been an amazing experience so far,” Potgieter said. “It’s my first time out here, and I wanted a good start. My game at Sage Valley and The Golf Club Georgia was very solid, and I was happy to kick off the trip with two wins.”
Potgieter has dreamt of enjoying in, and successful, the Masters since he received critical about golf at the age of eight when the household relocated to Australia. So far, Augusta and the Masters expertise has exceeded all his expectations.
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“Being in a field of world-class golfers, you don’t know what to expect, but the amateurs are treated incredibly well, and right away I felt like I am part of something special,” he stated on the eve of the season’s first Major.
“To have the chance to have this experience at 18 is an incredible privilege. I got goosebumps driving down the famous Magnolia Lane. The Amateur Dinner was something really special. Afterwards we slept in The Crow’s Nest. It was a little cramped with six of us, because it’s not big, but what an experience. It’s the stuff of dreams.”
Potgieter is probably nonetheless too younger to challenge precisely about his future, however his rise by means of the ranks within the final two years forcefully argues for a vibrant profession. Just 4 years in the past, he was ranked 6,000th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Today Potgieter is the thirty third highest ranked golfer within the world amateur sport.
He launched his ascension with a commanding nine-stroke victory within the 2020 South Australian Junior Masters and continued the upward trajectory along with his 2021 Western Australian Amateur win and runner-up end within the Australian Boys’ Amateur Championship.
After the household moved again to South Africa in late 2021, his profession actually took off.
Third within the prestigious 2022 African Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Leopard Creek in February, adopted victory within the Nomads South African Juniors International in March. A fortnight later, he received the Nomads SA Boys U-19 Stroke Play Championship and backed up the event report 20-shot victory at Royal Cape with an 8 & 7 win to carry the Match Play title — turning into solely the fifth junior since 1963 to finish the uncommon double after Richard Sterne (1999), Dylan Frittelli (2008), Zander Gous (2013) and Jayden Schaper (2015).
He romped to a different commanding victory within the Western Province Amateur and continued to dominate on the GolfRSA Open circuit after his return from the National Squad Tour to the United Kingdom. He represented South Africa within the World Amateur Team Championship in France and the International Team for the Junior Presidents Cup and completed the yr 4th within the GolfRSA Open Rankings and main the Junior standings.
Since his arrival in South Africa, Potgieter has proven that along with expertise, grit and dedication, however he additionally has a eager sense to be taught, and he has definitely made essentially the most of alternatives to realize inside data of the championship monitor earlier than his begin on Thursday.
In his first apply spherical, he had 2017 champion Sergio Garcia for firm and within the second, he performed with Charl Schwartzel, the champion in 2011, and his mentor, 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.
“I had a great time with Sergio and learned a lot from his course management and playing with Louis and Charl was a great learning curve,” Potgieter stated. “Louis and I talked about loads of issues, like how issues are at house, my profession plans and a few of the holes.
“Louis is a man that simply performs and likes to talk, however Charl is extra reserved. He gave me some nice strains, like on the ninth. If you might be laying aside the slope, it’s very fast. He confirmed me that I ought to use the lip of the bunker. You run it previous the outlet, and it comes again a number of toes, as an alternative of operating 40 toes previous the outlet with a straight putt. I by no means would have thought to take that as an possibility. I’m actually
trying ahead to enjoying with him within the first two rounds.”
In Wednesday’s Masters Par 3 Contest, he’s sure to get some extra helpful ideas from his enjoying companions, 2008 champion Trevor Immelman and evergreen Gary Player, the winner in 1961, 1974 and 1978.
Potgieter is the fifth South African amateur to tee it up at the Masters, following Cole in 1967, Tim Clark in 1998, Immelman in 1999 and Jovan Rebula in 2019. Only Cole and Immelman made the weekend, and the primary 36 holes will decide if Potgieter has an extended or quick week at Augusta.
Also aiming to get the distinguished Silver Cup are World No 1 Gordon Sargent and Bennett (No 6), each from the United States, Latin America Amateur winner Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira from Argentina (No 26), Australia’s Asia-Pacific Amateur champion Harrison Crowe (No 34), American Ben Carr (No 46), the runner-up within the 2022 U.S. Amateur and reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Matthew McLean from Ireland.
Sargent grew to become the primary amateur to just accept a particular invitation since Aaron Baddeley in 2000 and is closely tipped to win the amateur problem, however whichever method the chips fall for Potgieter, he’ll come away a greater participant.
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