The leaderboard at the 2025 Rocket Classic was incredibly condensed as Moving Day began with just eight shots separating the entire field that made the cut. The question was whether anyone in the final groups could shoot a number that would finally create some separation.

Aldrich Potgieter answered that call Saturday as the 20-year-old South African matched the low round of the day with a 7-under 65 to surge into the solo lead at 19 under, two shots clear of a logjam for second. Potgieter is the longest hitter on the PGA Tour. He used his length as a serious weapon this week at Detroit Golf Club, bombing driver on most holes to take advantage of his 190-plus mph ball speed to set up wedges and short irons into most par 4s.

After posting a 10-under 62 briefly set the course record Thursday (topped by Jake Knapp’s 61 on Friday), Potgieter stalled a bit in his second round, but he found his scoring form once again as the weekend began. Potgieter birdied the first hole with a hole-out from the right greenside bunker, then caught fire from No. 4 to No. 8, making five consecutive birdies to take control of the tournament. While he couldn’t maintain that pace on the back nine, he remained steady with eight pars and one birdie, which was enough to maintain a two-shot cushion. 

“I definitely thought I could maybe get that course record back today with that 6 under front nine,” Potgieter said with a smile after his round. “I thought the back nine, it’s definitely a favorite for me on this course. But we struggled with some conditions, different winds switching a bit, but it was a little bit more tough. But I was definitely trying to chase that course record again.” 

Chasing him into the weekend is a group of five players tied at 17 under, including Knapp, who backed up his 61 with a 66 on Saturday, closing his round with three straight birdies to get into one of the last two groups Sunday. Chris Kirk (six wins) and Andrew Putnam (one) are the only players in the top nine on the leaderboard that have closed out a win on the PGA Tour, which should make for a fascinating Sunday as many of the players in those final groups battle the nerves of trying to win for the first time. 

The biggest threat behind that group is Collin Morikawa, who is four off Potgieter’s lead at 15 under and held a share of the lead early on his back nine. However, Morikawa could not find many birdies on his back nine, shooting a 1-under 35 on his way in. He will have work to do on Sunday if he’s going to get his first win of the season. 

The leader

1. Aldrich Potgieter (-19): Potgieter has the ability to make this a runaway win, as we saw with his play on the front nine. His distance is a huge weapon, especially as they’ve thinned out some trees and opened up the driving lanes in Detroit. The question will be how well he can execute on approach and the greens with the nerves going. We saw a couple loose wedges from which he got up-and-down, but he’s been phenomenal on the greens. If he can keep that putter hot, he’ll have a great chance at his first career win. 

Contenders

T2. Max Greyserman, Jake Knapp, Andrew Putnam, Chris Kirk, Mark Hubbard (-17)
T7. Thriston Lawrence, Michael Thorbjornsen, Jackson Suber (-16)
T10. Collin Morikawa, Nicolai Højgaard, Harry Hall (-15)
T14. Ben Griffin, Matt Fitzpatrick and five others (-14)

Potgieter has put a bit of distance between himself and the field, but if he stalls out at all Sunday, plenty of guys will have a chance to get in the mix. The scoring Saturday wasn’t quite what it was on the first two rounds, as the greens are firming up and the winds picked up a bit in the afternoon, but something in the mid-60s is still achievable. Any of the players at 14- or 15-under will need to get off to fast starts to try and close the gap quickly before Potgieter even tees off, and guys like Morikawa and Griffin will be trying to apply a little added pressure by the time Potgieter steps on the first tee. 

Kirk and Putnam being the only ones in the top tier with a win to their name — Putnam’s was seven years ago at an alternate field event — means there will be some serious butterflies in all of those afternoon pairings, and whoever can manage those emotions the best throughout a long Sunday round will have a good chance at picking up a win that could be career-changing. 

2025 Rocket Classic updated odds, picks Aldrich Potgieter (11/4)Max Greyserman (6-1)Chris Kirk (8-1)Jake Knapp (8-1)Mark Hubbard (9-1)
Andrew Putnam (11-1)Collin Morikawa (14-1)Michael Thorbjornsen (18-1)Harry Hall (22-1)

I know no one has full faith in Potgieter to finish the job on Sunday, but I think he gets it done. If not, it’ll take something pretty special to beat him, which is why — of this group — I’d take a look at Knapp at 8-1 because he’s put together back-to-back fantastic rounds and seems to have found something out at Detroit Golf Club.Â