Aldrich Potgieter and Kevin Roy share PGA lead in Detroit with course record 62s

WASHINGTON – Aldrich Potgieter and Kevin Roy fired course-record 62s at Detroit Golf Club on June 26 to share the first-round lead in the PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic.

Roy, a 35-year-old American chasing a first PGA Tour title, followed his eagle at the 17th with his eighth birdie of the day to be the first in the clubhouse on 10-under.

Less than 10 minutes later, South Africa’s Potgieter put the finishing touches on a round that also included an eagle and eight birdies.

Potgieter and Roy both broke the previous course record of 63 – matched on June 26 by Australian Min Woo Lee and Americans Max Greyserman and Mark Hubbard.

“Just one of those days everything was clicking,” said Roy, who had seven birdies in the first 14 holes then chipped in from off the green for eagle at 17 after his five-wood second shot from the fairway rolled off the putting surface.

“I was shocked my five-wood went that far. I had 279 (to) pin. I don’t a five-wood that far, but maybe a little adrenaline or something going on... Certainly a bonus.”

That caught the attention of Potgieter, who had teed off on 10 and surged up the leaderboard when he picked up five strokes in a four-hole span, starting with his fourth birdie of the day at 16.

He followed that with a 10-foot eagle at 17, a 10-foot birdie at the 18th and a tap-in birdie at the first.

He reached 10-under with back-to-back birdies at seven and eight, and was finishing his round at the ninth when he saw Roy’s score.

“I was standing on the last hole and I looked at the leaderboard and saw someone else at 10, so I was real eager to make that putt at the last,” said Potgieter,