Rocket Classic: What is playoff format?
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Aldrich Potgieter makes birdie on No. 17 at Rocket Classic
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7:14 p.m. ET update: Aldrich Potgieter wins the Rocket Classic with an 18-foot birdie on the fifth playoff hole, the par-3 15th, after Max Greyserman's 34-foot birdie try slid by. Potgieter earns his first PGA TOUR win at age 20, becoming the youngest South African to win on the PGA TOUR. It's Greyserman's fourth runner-up finish on TOUR; he's still searching for his first victory.
7:07 p.m. ET update: The Rocket Classic is headed to a fifth playoff hole as Aldrich Potgieter and Max Greyserman battle for the title in Detroit.
Potgieter, Greyserman and Chris Kirk each made par at the first extra hole, the par-4 18th; Kirk had the best chance for birdie but missed a 9-footer. Potgieter and Greyserman each made par on the second extra hole, the par-3 15th, and Kirk was eliminated after missing a 4-footer for par.
Potgieter and Greyserman each made par on the third extra hole (the par-4 16th) and each made birdie on the fourth extra hole (the par-5 14th). The playoff continues to a fifth extra hole, the par-3 15th.
For the third time in tournament history, the Rocket Classic heads to a playoff to determine the winner in Detroit.
With Aldrich Potgieter, Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk tied at 22-under after 72 holes, the trio will play Detroit Golf Club’s 18th hole to decide a winner. If tied after that, the holes required will be Nos. 15, 16, 14, 15, 16, 14 in order.
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Greyserman had a 12-foot birdie look at the 72nd hole to win the tournament outright, but he couldn’t convert, forcing overtime at the historic Detroit Golf Club.
Potgieter held the 54-hole lead at 19-under, and the South African closed in 3-under 69 with a nervy 5-footer for par at the 72nd hole. Potgieter, 20, became the second youngest Korn Ferry Tour graduate in 2024, behind only Jason Day, and fell to Brian Campbell in a playoff at this year’s Mexico Open at VidantaWorld. Kirk and Greyserman began Sunday in second place and each closed in 5-under 67. Kirk is a six-time TOUR winner, while Greyserman has notched three runner-up finishes on TOUR without a win.
Rickie Fowler was the last player to win the Rocket Classic in a playoff, defeating Adam Hadwin and Collin Morikawa by making a birdie on the first playoff hole in 2023. Two-time Rocket Classic winner Cam Davis captured his first title in an epic five-hole playoff, outlasting Troy Merritt and Joaquin Niemann for his first win on TOUR.