Aldrich Potgieter took a peek at the leaderboard before lining up his putt on a crest of the ninth green, knowing he had to make the 12-footer for birdie to break a tie with Kevin Roy.
The putt grazed the left edge, with Potgieter missing an opportunity to cap a record-setting day by taking the outright first-round lead at the Rocket Classic on Thursday.
“I was real eager to make that putt,” he said.
Potgieter and Roy each shot 10-under 62 to break the tournament 18-hole record.
Detroit Golf Club has been one of the easiest courses since the PGA Tour made it an annual stop in 2019. A pair of Korn Ferry graduates took full advantage on a day that 129 golfers in the 156-player field shot under par.
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Potgieter, the 20-year-old South African who grew up in Australia, started at No. 10 and set a tournament record with a 7-under 29 on the back nine. He and the 35-year-old Roy each had an eagle and eight birdies in bogey-free rounds.
On the 578-yard, par-5 17th, Roy’s drive went 300 yards, his second shot traveled another 288 yards, and his chip from the rough rolled in from 30 feet.
“Just one of those days everything was clicking,” Roy said. “I was shocked my 5-wood went that far. I had 279 pin. I don’t hit a 5-wood that far, but maybe a little adrenaline or something going on.”
As well as Roy and Potgieter played, they can’t get comfortable on a short course with greens that are even more receptive than usual with recent rain.
“It was pretty easy,” Andrew Putnam said after a 64.
Min Woo Lee, Max Greyserman and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back after matching the previous tournament record of 63. Two-time major champion Zach Johnson was in the group of seven players that were two shots back.
Lee enjoyed playing Detroit Golf Club after struggling — along with most of his peers — at Oakmont during the U.S. Open and at the Memorial.
“I was really excited for this week,” he said. “I wanted to get to hit in the rough and actually hit onto the green. Hopefully, the PGA Tour can have more courses like this. It would be a bit more fun and less stressful.”
Johnson shot his best round on tour this year.
“I’ve actually been working a little bit specifically the last two, two and a half weeks,” Johnson said. “I’ve been playing quite a bit at home. Game’s been good, but you never know how it’s going to transpire. My goal this week was just to kind of stay right where my feet are. I know that’s cliché, but that usually bodes well.”
While the course is easy as usual, the competition is relatively strong for the tournament that many top players have skipped in the past.
The field includes nine of the top 50 players in the world, led by fifth-ranked Collin Morikawa, who opened with a 69 after parting ways with a caddie for the second time this year.
KK Limbhasut, a teammate of Morikawa’s at California and a Korn Tour Ferry player, is filling in this week as a caddie while Morikawa tries to find what he’s looking for on his bag.
“It’s like asking a 20-year-old or 15-year-old what does your future wife look like, right?” Morikawa asked. “There’s a lot of things you could say, but just because you say it doesn’t mean that’s actually what comes together.
“It’s a partnership. We both give, and we both take. For me, it’s just being able to be comfortable out there trusting them and just having a good time.”
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who rose to No. 7 in the world after winning the Travelers Championship last week in Connecticut, shot a 68.
The idea of Bradley playing at Bethpage Black in New York for the Sept. 28-30 matches against Europe is picking up steam among American players and fans.
“Put yourself on the team!” a man shouted at Bradley, who didn’t react to the suggestion as he walked to sign his card after the opening round.
The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.
