20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter uses dangerous combination to grab big Mexico Open leand

The 20-year-old South African fired a 10-under 61 at the  on Friday, relying on a dangerous combination. He is one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour and currently ranks first in driving distance among the Mexico Open field, averaging 324.5 yards off the tee. He somehow drove the  which included him hitting his driver off the deck, making this monstrous par-5 look like a walk in the park.

Then, once he reached the putting surface, he took advantage of his opportunities. He has gained nearly seven strokes on the greens thru 36 holes and ranks above everyone else in that category. He made a total of 113 feet worth of putts during Friday’s second round, a round in which he tied the course record.

His short game has been working well overall. In addition to his putting prowess, he was 3-for-3 in scrambling on Friday, with no better save coming at the par-4 10th hole.

The South African smothered his drive into the water that runs down the fairway’s right side. He then had to drop for his third shot, which left him with 201 yards remaining to the flag. Potgieter then laced an iron towards the green, settling about 20 feet away, just off the pin and into the rough. He then chipped in, keeping his bogey-free round intact.

“After that five birdies in a row stretch, and the 10th hole is a really difficult hole into the wind as well, really tight with the water on the right, I kind of knew I just had to reset and start over after nine. Ended up hitting in the water still, but I was still in the zone enough to keep the par save going and keep the momentum going forward. Just trying to give myself a 10-, 15-foot putt on every hole and try and make a birdie.”

Potgieter made four more birdies on the back nine, totaling 10 on the day, and now holds a four-shot advantage over Stephan Jaeger. If that lead remains intact until the end of the second round, Potgieter will have the largest 36-hole lead on the PGA Tour core through 36 holes is also the lowest out of any player at the midway point thus far.

“I love the golf course; it definitely suits my game, I think, in a lot of aspects,” Potgieter added.

“If I can keep putting well, I think it should be pretty good.”

Nobody will stop him if he continues to putt like this. Between that and his otherworldly length, Potgieter looks unstoppable at Vidanta.