PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 14, 2026

Aldrich Potgieter

Aronimink Golf Club

Flash Quotes

Q. Aldrich Potgieter is with us now at the 108th PGA Championship. Aldrich, a real nice start for you today at 3-under 67. What did you do well out there?

ALDRICH POTGIETER: I think I hit it on the right spots on the golf course, especially on the greens. I didn't feel like I had to putt over some of these big slopes we had. So I definitely left myself in really good positions on the green. Definitely made some long putts. So it was nice the putter was warm.

And struggling off the tee a bit on the front nine when it was cold, but definitely got better on the back.

Q. You made quite a few birdies, it looks like. Any of those stand out to you?

ALDRICH POTGIETER: Yeah, I think the one on 11 was a nice putt from down the slope. So that was pretty nice to hole a long one.

Q. Aldrich, this is your lowest round in a major so far in your career. What kind of confidence does this give you with a performance like today moving forward?

ALDRICH POTGIETER: I think it helped this morning being out so early. There wasn't a lot of people out there this morning on the first couple of holes. So it was nice to kind of get in my own little space and kind of get a groove in early on.

It's nice being in America playing here over the last two years and kind of coming to these big events, playing more Signature Events as well. I definitely feel this week I'm more comfortable.

I had some really nice finishes in the last couple weeks, kind of momentum moving in. So that's also nice.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about your vision of your expectations coming into the week and how good this feels for you today?

ALDRICH POTGIETER: Yeah, it's nice to be on the leaderboard early on in the week. I think the last couple of weeks I didn't have that first round where I got myself close enough to the leaders, and kind of felt like I had to catch up a little bit.

So it's nice to be in this position now and getting in before hopefully the wind picks up a little bit for this afternoon. It's nice to get out early and get the first day done.

Q. Talking about how comfortable you feel with the best players in the world and then who's kind of your inspiration among the South Africans?

ALDRICH POTGIETER: I think one of the big names that always pop up is Ernie Els, seeing how well he did in the majors all the time and kind of how he was always in that top 10 all the time, how he was hanging around those leaders.

It's nice to have a first round settled in and kind of be in a good position for the rest of the week, having a bit more of a mid-morning kind of tee time for tomorrow, so I can kind of have a look at the leaderboard and see what the other guys are doing.

It's nice to be on a golf course that I'm more comfortable at, and it's nice to have some good results on the first day. So it's nice.

Q. How many drivers did you hit today, and do you really -- does it fit you okay off the tee with a driver, or do you not need it that often?

ALDRICH POTGIETER: I think probably out of the 14 we would hit, I think there's more par-3s. I'm probably hitting around 10 or 11 at least out there. It's definitely wind and tee box dependent, but that front nine was a little cold, and I was hitting some kind of knuckleballs. It's hard when the shaft is that stiff and your body's not working properly to get the ball speed up for the shaft to work as well.

It was pretty tough to grind out on that front nine, but we'll definitely hit some more fairways in the warmer weather.

Q. I'm just curious, with only the two par-5s, is it important that you made birdie on each one? Is that important if you're going to score around here?

ALDRICH POTGIETER: Yeah, I think you've got to take advantage -- not either one par-5 is real gettable. I would say, I think 16 is a really long one and is playing into the wind today. So if you can cover those left bunkers, you might be able to reach in with maybe a 4-iron or 2-iron or a 3-wood. That pin placement is real tough. I think a lot of guys will be hitting in that bunker trying to make a good up-and-down.

9 is a little bit more forgiving, I think, trying to hit on the green and just have a really good two-putt on the big green.

I wouldn't say they're too gettable, but it definitely goes a long way getting those two under the belt as birdies.