ALDRICH POTGIETER BIRDIES FIFTH PLAYOFF PLAYOFF HOLE FOR FIRST PGA TOUR WIN AT ROCKET CLASSIC

The energy of youth topped the experience of age.

Aldrich Potgieter, a 20-year-old South African, birdied the fifth playoff hole to defeat Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk to win the 2025 Rocket Classic on Sunday in Detroit.

Potgieter poured in an 18-foot birdie putt at the par-3 15th hole at Detroit Golf Club.

“I finally got one to the hole, saw it roll end over end, and knew it was going into the hole,” he said.

Potgieter shot 3-under 69 at Detroit Golf Club for a 72-hole total of 22-under 268.

Greyserman, 30, shot a bogey-free 6-under 66. The Duke grad, who ranked second in SG: Putting for the week, led the field with most putts of more than 10 feet but couldn’t convert from 12 feet to win in regulation and had multiple chances in the playoff but his putter went cold.

Aldrich Potgieter plays his shot from the fourth tee during the final round of the 2025 Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club.

Kirk, the grizzled vet at 40 and with six previous Tour titles, shot 5-under 67 on Sunday but missed from 16 feet at 18 in regulation and 9 feet on the first playoff hole for the win. He took three putts on the second playoff hole and made bogey and was eliminated from the playoff.

Potgieter turned professional in 2023 and became the youngest winner in Korn Ferry Tour history by winning the 2024 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at age 19. At 20 years, 9 months, 16 days on Sunday, he became the seventh-youngest PGA Tour winner since the start of 1983, and the youngest player from South Africa ever to win on the PGA Tour.

- USA Today, Golfweek

ECHAVARRIA CLAIMS THE ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP FOR HIS SECOND PGA TOUR VICTORY

Nico Echavarria - The Canadian Press

INZAI CITY, Japan (AP) — Nico Echavarria claimed the Zozo Championship for his second PGA Tour victory, shooting 3-under 67 on Sunday to win by a shot over Max Greyserman and Justin Thomas.

Echavarria, a Colombian who played at the University of Arkansas, birdied two of the final three holes — including the 18th — to add to the title he won last year at the Puerto Rico Open.

He finished at 20-under 260 at the Narashino Country Club, located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from central Tokyo. It's course record, topping the 261 Tiger Woods shot in winning in 2019.

“It’s incredible to win a tournament that Tiger’s won,” Echavarria said, setting up a joke. “This is my second victory, so I just need 80 more victories to catch him. I’m on my way, though.”

Echavarria said the win last year helped build his confidence.

“I don’t think I would have won this week without the victory in Puerto Rico,” he said. “I pulled a lot from that moment in the last round on Sunday in Puerto Rico, I used it a lot this week to stay patient, stay calm.”

Echavarria hugged his girlfriend, Claudia De Antonio. on the 18th after the victory in what he called “a very special moment.”

“It’s surreal,” he said. "It’s been a good year for me, I just haven’t had that top result. I’ve been very consistent, I’ve learned a lot this year. To finish the year this way is, it’s incredible, especially doing it here in Japan in such an amazing country.”

Thomas, who played in the final threesome with Greyserman and Echavarria, closed with a 66. He is trying to win his first PGA title in 2 1/2 years. His last was the 2022 PGA Championship, which gave him 15 PGA titles.

“Obviously bummed and disappointed, but I played so well,” Thomas said. “I played plenty well enough to win the tournament. Hit so many good putts today that just didn’t go in, that’s the difference.”

Greyserman, trying for his first tour win, took a one-shot lead with a 30-foot birdie on the 14th — his only birdie on the back nine. He closed with a 65 at the Narashino Country Club and has been runner-up in three of his last five PGA events.

Echavarria hugged his girlfriend, Claudia De Antonio. on the 18th after the victory in what he called “a very special moment.”

“It’s surreal,” he said. "It’s been a good year for me, I just haven’t had that top result. I’ve been very consistent, I’ve learned a lot this year. To finish the year this way is, it’s incredible, especially doing it here in Japan in such an amazing country.”

Thomas, who played in the final threesome with Greyserman and Echavarria, closed with a 66. He is trying to win his first PGA title in 2 1/2 years. His last was the 2022 PGA Championship, which gave him 15 PGA titles.

“Obviously bummed and disappointed, but I played so well,” Thomas said. “I played plenty well enough to win the tournament. Hit so many good putts today that just didn’t go in, that’s the difference.”

Greyserman, trying for his first tour win, took a one-shot lead with a 30-foot birdie on the 14th — his only birdie on the back nine. He closed with a 65 at the Narashino Country Club and has been runner-up in three of his last five PGA events.

He's a close friend of Echavarria's. But the loss, of course, hurt.

“You know, I didn’t quite execute down the stretch when I needed to. I mean, Nico stepped up there and he hit a great second shot (on 18). He earned it.”

- The Canadian Press

2024 WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD, GRADES: AARON RAI SURGES TO FIRST PGA TOUR WIN AMID MARATHON ON SUNDAY

Aaron Rai watches his tee shot on the second hole (Chuck Burton/AP) (AP)

Aaron Rai shot 64 in the final round of the Wyndham Championship on Sunday to beat Max Greyserman. It was a shocking reversal at the end of the event that saw Greyserman make a quadruple bogey and a double bogey in the last five holes.

Rai trailed by four shots with just five holes to go after Greyserman holed out for eagle on the par-4 13th hole. However, Greyserman, a rookie on the PGA Tour this year, hit his next tee ball out of bounds and made an 8 to give back all four shots he led by in the span of about 20 minutes. 

Two holes later, after a birdie at the 15th put him back up one on Rai, he three-putted from 3 feet on the par-3 16th to go from one shot up to one shot down. Rai did the rest with an up and down from 199 yards for birdie at the last for his first victory on Tour.

The Englishman was obviously thrilled.

"Incredible, a dream come true," Rai told CBS Sports. Truly a dream come true. Even getting to the PGA Tour, but understanding how difficult it is out there and how strong the standard of golf is. I'm extremely grateful, I think it hasn't quite sunk in yet. An amazing achievement."

This was not a victory out of nowhere either. According to Data Golf, Rai ranks No. 17 in the world in total strokes gained in the last three months. He is keeping company with Patrick Cantlay, Ludvig Aberg, Joaquin Niemann and Bob MacIntyre. He finished in the top 20 at the Canadian Open and U.S. Open before notching three straight top 10s at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, John Deere Classic and Scottish Open.

He also finished first in the field this week at the Wyndham in approach play, ball striking and tee to green play. 

While the way the tournament ended was bizarre, and Rai may have won because Greyserman lost, this victory is no fluke. Rai is for real and has only been getting better. In each of his last six seasons, Rai's overall strokes gained number has improved every single year. That is only the product of tremendous work and dedication to improvement. And while there are some limitations on how far Rai can go with limited power, his consistent improvement just culminated in a wild PGA Tour victory, and there may be a lot more contention (and possibly even more victories) that follow. Grade: A+

2. Max Greyserman (-16): Greyserman said all the right things in the aftermath, but being up four with five to go, making another birdie coming home and still losing by two is going to sting.

"I'm just going to walk away that I played really, really good golf, executed really well," he said. "Had probably ... I don't know, four-shot lead. I had a four-shot lead with five holes to go? If you're doing that in a PGA Tour event, you're doing something exceptionally well, so that's what I'm going to walk away with." Grade: A-

5. Luke Clanton (-14): The amateur just notched his third top 10 on the PGA Tour this season to go along with a T41 at the U.S. Open. Nobody has put together three top 10s on the PGA Tour as an amateur since Jack Nicklaus in 1961. 

"That's pretty cool, for sure," said Clanton, in the understatement of the year when he was told about the Nicklaus stat.

What's somewhat incredible is that Clanton played 39 holes on Sunday to finish his second, third and then final round. And all of it ended just 18 hours before his tee time on Monday at the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine. Grade: A+

T12. Matt Kuchar (-11): In one of the most bizarre things we have seen all year, Matt Kuchar began the last hole with his group but would not hit his second shot, instead electing to come back on Monday morning. This despite being seven shots back of the lead and nowhere near the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Also despite everyone from his group -- including Greyserman! -- finishing the hole. The difference between T12 and T21, which Kuchar is starting at given a poor drive on the 18th, is roughly $58,000. A lot of money to me and you, but probably not to Kuchar, who has made $59 million in his career. Grade: Inc.

T33. Victor Perez (-8): What makes Perez's T33 worthy of consideration this week? He played his way into the FedEx Cup Playoffs in the final spot (No. 70), which makes him the last man into the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He closed with eight consecutive pars in his final round to maintain the 70th position, which is where he started the week, where he was for most of Sunday and where he eventually finished. Grade: C

MC. Jordan Spieth (-2): This week was emblematic of Spieth's season. He was tremendous off the tee and struggled with everything else. He talked at length before the event started about how his wrist has affected him and how it needs to be fixed in the offseason. What that entails is up in the air, but what seems certain is that at No. 64 in the FedEx Cup standings, next week's FedEx St. Jude Championship will be the last time we see him this season. Grade: D-

- Kyle Porter