21-YO Aldrich Potgieter joins Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman in a rare accolade winner's club

With the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award, Aldrich Potgieter has joined Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman in a rare feat. The 21-year-old emerging talent has become only the third South African to win the Rookie of the Year award.

Potgieter made his season debut earlier this year and, despite making just eight cuts in 20 starts, had a memorable season. He won the Rocket Mortgage Classic in a playoff and lost the Mexico Open in a playoff. He also had a top-ten finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Potgieter also qualified for the playoffs in his rookie season. The young golfer was eliminated at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, finishing the FedEx Cup season 52nd in the standings and 56th after the Fall season. Besides, he broke into the top 100 of the OWGR and is currently ranked 81st.

Before Potgieter, only Ernie Els (1994) and Trevor Immelman (2006) had won the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award. Both Immelman and Els went on to become major champions, and Els became World No. 1 in the OWGR. It will be interesting to see how far the 21-year-old golfer will go in his career.

Aldrich Potgieter's performance in the 2025 season explored

Aldrich Potgieter poses with the trophy after winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic 2025 (Image Source: Imagn)

Here's a look at Aldrich Potgieter's performance in the 2025 season:

• Sony Open in Hawaii: CUT, +3 (73, 70)
• The American Express: CUT, −4 (71, 72, 69)
• Farmers Insurance Open: T15, −1 (66, 76, 67, 78)
• Mexico Open at VidantaWorld: P2, −20 (65, 61, 67, 71)
• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: CUT, +8 (79, 73)
• THE PLAYERS Championship: CUT, +1 (74, 71)
• Valspar Championship: CUT, +6 (73, 75)
• Texas Children’s Houston Open: CUT, E (68, 72)
• Valero Texas Open: T47, +3 (68, 73, 74, 76)
• Corales Puntacana Championship: CUT, +3 (73, 74)
• THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: CUT, E (69, 73)
• ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic: CUT, E (68, 74)
• Charles Schwab Challenge: T6, −7 (68, 68, 69, 68)
• Rocket Classic: P1, −22 (62, 70, 65, 69)
• John Deere Classic: W/D, −4 (67, 66, 76)
• Genesis Scottish Open: CUT, +2 (70, 72)
• The Open Championship: CUT, +5 (77, 70)
• FedEx St. Jude Championship: T59, +3 (71, 72, 73, 67)
• Baycurrent Classic: T33, −6 (77, 65, 68, 68)
• Bank of Utah Championship: W/D, E (71)

Edited by Shobhit Kukreti