Editor's note: This article was originally published at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. Aldrich Potgieter currently holds the 54-hole lead at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld.

LA JOLLA, Calif. – Aldrich Potgieter wasn’t sure how to explain it, he’s just always been good.

Asked on Friday why he has progressed so quickly in golf, Potgieter, 20, mustered this answer, “It's just a gift from God. I've definitely been given a talent.”

That talent has been on display thus far this week at Torrey Pines Golf Course. In just his third start as a TOUR member, the South African is in position to possibly win his first TOUR title. Potgieter was solo third at 7-under through three rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open, two shots back of 54-hole leader Harris English.

Potgieter will play in his first final pairing on Saturday alongside English and Andrew Novak. Ahead of the final round, here are five things to know about the prodigious Potgieter.

1. Youngest ever winner on Korn Ferry Tour

Potgieter etched his name into golf lore at the 2024 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club, carding 10-under 278 for a two-stroke victory over Quade Cummins and Kyle Westmoreland. Potgieter (19 years, 4 months, 11 days) surpassed Jason Day for the record as the Korn Ferry Tour's youngest winner. The precocious South African also becomes the youngest winner on either the PGA TOUR or Korn Ferry Tour since Ralph Guldahl at the 1931 Santa Monica Open (19 years, 2 months, 3 days).

It’s not the first time Potgieter etched his name in the record books either.

He won The 2022 Amateur Championship roughly three months before his 18th birthday, which made him the second-youngest winner in the history of the event. Potgieter's other notable amateur victories included the 2021 Western Australia Amateur, 2022 South African Boys U19 Championship, 2023 African Amateur Championship, and 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.

Most recently, Potgieter became the second-youngest graduate in Korn Ferry Tour history, earning his TOUR card at 20 years and 23 days of age.

Wesley Bryan was struck by Potgieter’s blend of talent and maturity during PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry’s in 2023 – just as Bryan’s brother George had been after playing with him at Second Stage.

“George was hyping him up to be the greatest golfer he’s seen in his entire life,” Wesley Bryan said at Final Stage of Q-School. “He’s got LeBron (James)-esque upside.”

2. Immediately became one of the longest players on TOUR

The 5’11, 210-pound Potgieter is one of the poster boys of the newest generation of golfers, who grew up maximizing distance gains at all costs. Potgieter led the Korn Ferry Tour in Driving Distance in 2024 and he’s already doing the same on the PGA TOUR.

Through the first month of the TOUR season, Potgieter has averaged 338.5 yards per drive, the longest on TOUR. He’s leading the way again this week at Torrey Pines, averaging more than 320 yards per drive. He also leads the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, a pivotal statistic at Torrey Pines.

“It makes a big difference if you're hitting a pitching wedge into a green or an 8-iron,” Potgieter said. “It's just this rough is so thick you have to be able to get through it easily. I'm just trying to hit a fairway.”

At 20 years old, Potgieter projects to remain one of the TOUR’s longest hitters for a long time to come.

3. Went against the trend of playing college golf, turned pro at 18

After winning The Amateur Championship (the European equivalent of the U.S. Amateur), Potgieter had a decision to make. He could easily head to the U.S. to play collegiately and after his victory and amateur track record, he would have his pick of the litter.

But he also wanted to capitalize on his form and he felt learning while doing it as a pro would be more beneficial.

“I thought, from my view, college was like an extra four years of preparing to becoming professional,” Potgieter said. “I know they have great opportunities, great teams behind them, and you can see a lot of the players are coming from college teams are doing really good.

“That was an option, but I wanted to get the experience done and just make sure my game is good enough, and just grind it out, learn stuff these guys are going to have to learn now coming out of college.”

So Potgieter turned pro at age 18. Potgieter finished sixth at the 2023 South African PGA Championship later that year, validating the decision.

4. Grew up in two different continents

Potgieter plays under the South African flag, but much of his childhood was spent thousands of miles away. He initially grew up in Middelburg, South Africa, a farming and industrial town roughly two hours east of Pretoria, before the family moved to Perth, Australia, when Potgieter was eight.

It was around that age that Potgieter got serious about golf. He established a handicap and began playing from full rounds of golf round the forward tees. His main motivation for getting better was beating his dad, which he did by age 12.

The Potgieters eventually returned to South Africa, settling in Mossel Bay at the end of 2021 and shortly after Aldrich's 17th birthday.

5. He was mentored by a PGA TOUR great

Potgieter connected with fellow South African Tim Clark at the 2022 Junior Presidents Cup.

Clark captained the International Team headlined by Potgieter, who turned 18 years old the week before the event. While the two had previously spoken on the phone, the Junior Presidents Cup was the first time they met. Potgieter sat next to Clark on the bus every day to try and take in all the information he could.

Potgieter visited Clark in Scottsdale, Arizona, in early 2024, shortly after Potgieter missed out on a TOUR card at Final Stage of Q-School.

“I called him after that, feeling like he might be a little bit disappointed, but he’s got such a good attitude,” Clark told PGATOUR.COM last year. “He understood ... ‘Hey, maybe this is a good thing for me, just to get my feet wet, get some tournaments under my belt, get used to travel.’

“Because obviously the talent’s there for him. He could play on TOUR right now. But I do believe this was a good thing for him in a way, and it gives him a big appreciation for what a lot of people go through to become a professional golfer.”

Clark has remained a sounding board for Potgieter since the young South African earned his TOUR card.