Youngest PGA Championship winners: Where 21-year-old Aldrich Potgieter would rank with 2026 major win

The PGA Championship is designed to put the world's toughest golfers to the test, and Aronimink Golf Club in the greater Philadelphia region is living up to that standard and then some.

While the PGA Championship often doesn't present the same challenge as the U.S. Open, the 2026 edition looks more like a U.S. Open with the way the course has given players fits.

Surviving those challenges fairly well over the first two days was Aldrich Potgieter, who is making the first PGA Championship appearance of his career and doesn't look overwhelmed despite playing alongside so many battle-tested veterans of the sport.

Here's a look at where Potgieter would rank among the youngest winners in PGA Championship history.

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Youngest PGA Championship winners

Here are the seven youngest winners in PGA Championship history:

Gene Sarazen is the youngest PGA Championship winner, having won in 1922 at age 20, and he came back and won the following year at 21 to put himself near the top of the leaderboard twice. Only Tom Creavy (1931) can join Sarazen in winning the PGA Championship at less than 21 years old.

A Potgieter win in 2026 would make him the fourth-youngest winner in PGA Championship history, trailing Sarazen twice and Creavy once. Potgieter would be just past 21 years and eight months if he won, while Sarazen was 21 years and seven months at the time of his second win.

Rory McIlroy, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods all won their first PGA Championship at age 23, so a win at 21 would put Potgieter or anyone else in his age group in rare territory ahead of some greats.

MORE: What to know about Aldrich Potgieter

How old is Aldrich Potgieter?

Potgieter is 21 years old. He won't turn 22 until Sept. 13.

Potgieter earned his first PGA Tour win in 2025, but he doesn't have much of a track record in majors. The South African golfer is making only his fifth major start at the 2026 PGA Championship, and it's only the second time he's made the cut. 

Before this year, Potgieter's best major finish came at the 2023 U.S. Open, when he finished 64th.

MORE: How much will the 2026 PGA Championship winner make?

Has anyone won their PGA Championship debut?

Nine players have won the PGA Championship in their tournament debut, with Collin Morikiawa (2020) and Keegan Bradley (2011) the most recent. Here's the full list:

Potgieter would be the 10th to do so, though he would be the youngest other than Creavy to win in his debut.