BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Aldrich Potgieter of South Africa made it two straight sub-60 rounds in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Astara Golf Championship, shooting an 11-under 59 on Friday on the short Pacos course to take the second-round lead.
A day after Cristobal Del Solar of Chile set the Korn Ferry record with a 57, Potgieter birdied his final three holes to become the youngest player with a sub-60 round in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event at 19 years, 4 months, 27 days. It is the first time in Korn Ferry history that two players have broken 60 in the same week.
“I was kind of trying to get to that 57, so I was trying to push myself,” Potgieter said. “But then kind of realized that we’re still in a golf tournament, we’re not playing a fun round out here. So, I was kind of trying to concentrate when I made those last three birdies, which helped a lot.”
Potgieter had an eagle and 10 birdies on the Bogota Country Club’s Pacos layout that only measures 6,254 yards at some 8,500 feet of elevation. He had a 16-under 125 total, opening Thursday with a 66 on the 7,237-yard Lagos course — the site of the final two rounds.
“Obviously, the course is a little bit shorter, so I was around a lot of greens,” Potgieter said. “I was putting it really nicely. The greens are awesome, just running really smooth. Just got it going at the start.”
Potgieter won The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic last month in his fourth career Korn Ferry Tour start. The 2022 British Amateur champion turned professional last year after the U.S. Open.
Del Solar was second after a 69 on the Lagos course. The 57 was the lowest round in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event and matched the record on tours that are part of the Official World Golf ranking.
Potgieter became the 54th player with a sub-60 round on tours around the world — including the LPGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and LIV Golf — since Al Geiberger first shot 59 in the 1977 Memphis Classic.
Last week, Joaquin Niemann shot 59 at LIV Golf Mayakoba. Golf worldwide has had at least one sub-60 round every year since 2013.
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