Jacques van der Westhuyzen

Compiled by Jacques van der Westhuyzen

Head of Sport


SA golfer hits hole-in-one in PGA Tour qualifier — on a par 4

"It was kind of a quiet moment to yourself where you're like, 'I still can't believe that happened'."


South African amateur golfer Aldrich Potgieter hit a hole in one on a par 4 in a PGA Tour Monday qualifier in Illinois, USA.

The young South African achieved the incredible and rare feat at the 345-yard, par-4 17th hole at Pinnacle Country Club in Milan, Illinois, a qualifying event for the John Deere Classic PGA Tour event this week.

Potgieter’s incredible shot, with a driver, sadly didn’t help him get into the event as he fell one shot short of qualifying, after a six-under-par 66.

According to the PGA Tour, there has been just one par-4 hole-in-one recorded in PGA Tour-sanctioned competition; Andrew Magee on the 17th hole at the 2001 WM Phoenix Open.

‘Going wild’

“That was really exciting, and it was kind of a weird moment,” Potgieter said of his par-4 ace, according to pgatour.com.

“I didn’t see it go in, so I didn’t know. Kind of a blind tee shot, but … when I saw my caddie run out to the fairway, and was pumping up his arms and going wild, I thought it was probably like a foot or two.

“And he said no, it was in the hole. So it wasn’t like one you see on a par 3 and you go wild with the crowd. It was kind of a quiet moment to yourself where you’re like, ‘I still can’t believe that happened.'”

Potgieter is one of the rising stars in world golf. Last year he became the second-youngest winner of The Amateur, an event that dates back to 1885. He also made the cut at last month’s US Open — the only South African to do so.

Read more on these topics

Golf PGA tour

For more news your way

Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.