Aldrich Potgieter ready to stake his claim at 2026 Masters

Potgieter made his Masters debut in 2023 after winning The Amateur Championship as a 17-year-old back in 2022, and earned his return after bagging the 2025 Rocket Championship on the PGA Tour.

Now 21 years old, the Pretoria-born heavy hitter is ready to compete after failing to make the 36-hole cut as an amateur three years ago.

"I think all the experiences I've had have built up to where we are right now. I've probably never been that nervous in Detroit in my life, and maybe when I get up on 18 and I have a chance to win, I can look back at that moment and realise that I got through that.

"Being a professional for a couple of years have prepared me pretty well to be in the situation again and take on Augusta National. So we're just excited to get going, hit some bombs and hold some putts."

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Reflecting on his debut, the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year says his biggest mistake was spending too much time on the course in the lead up to the opening round.

"These weeks can get really big, especially if you're here Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday playing practice rounds for 4-5 hours.

"I remember that I spent all day everyday out on the course and by Friday I was pretty tired already. So we are trying to keep it to a minimum this year and stick to the routines."

Adding to the lessons learnt, Potgieter feels he now has better knowledge and understanding of Augusta and how to go about his game.

With this being the first major of the 2026 calendar, one area he has earmarked for his improvement is to stay on top of the ball in his iron play.

"I just struggled with iron play just a little bit. I would say preparation wise it's kind of the same, but I think there was just a couple of things I needed to work on at the start off this year, like working on staying on top of the golf ball which definitely helps for this week."