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- The Tee Sheet - Issue #7
July 2, 2025
Welcome to the seventh edition of The Tee Sheet - your Wednesday read on what matters in the world of golf right now. It may feel like a Summer lull, but we had an awesome weekend finish at the Rocket Classic and there is a major right around the corner.
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Let’s dive in!
Official World Golf Ranking Tracker & Movers
Big Movers Up: Aldrich Potgieter and Adrien Saddier make big moves following wins at the Rocket Classic and Italian Open
Top 10: Ludvig Aberg cracks back into the Top 10
Note: Rising / Falling includes biggest movers in the OWGR Top 150
FedEx Cup Points Tracker
Top 10 Movements: No movers in the Top 10 this week, with Ben Griffin and Keegan Bradley being the only players from the Top 10 who played in the Rocket Classic
PGA Tour Money List Tracker
Top 10 Movements: No movement on the money list Top 10 this week
Tourney Recap
2025 Rocket Classic Recap:
Potgieter’s Breakthrough in Detroit
What were you doing at 20 years old? Because Aldrich Potgieter just won a $1.7M PGA Tour event - his first ever - and did it in style. The South African wunderkind showed no signs of flinching as he birdied his way to a Sunday 69 (finishing the Rocket Classic at 22-under) and stared down two pros in a five-hole playoff this weekend. He’s now the youngest South African ever to win on Tour, and the 7th youngest overall since 1983. Not bad…
On a week when Detroit Golf Club offered up soft greens, gettable pins, and a red-number feeding frenzy, the kid hung tight. His final-round 69 got him to -22 and into a three-man playoff with Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk. After the second playoff hole it was down to Potgieter and Greyserman, and we saw four rinse-and-repeat pars before getting to the fifth playoff hole. This is where Potgieter buried an 18-foot dagger and lifted the trophy.
The playoff wasn’t fireworks - no real hero shots or heartbreaks - but it was tense. Greyserman missed a 10-footer that would’ve ended it. Kirk lagged well on the safe side of aggressive. Potgieter waited… and struck.
Leaderboard Look
🥈 T2 - Max Greyserman (-22): Career-best finish for the 30-year-old grinder. Still searching for that first win
🏌️♂️ T4 - Michael Thorbjornsen & Jake Knapp (-21): The Stanford product (Thor) and 31-year-old Tour newcomer (Knapp) quietly kept pressure on the leaders
⛳ Former Champ - Cam Davis (defending champ and two-time winner) missed the cut, but to be fair… he does have a chicken sandwich named after him at the turn (“Davis Double”)…
🔥 Fan Favorites - Collin Morikawa (T8), Matt Fitzpatrick (T8), Min Woo Lee (T13), Hideki Matsuyama (T13), and Ben Griffin (T13) turned in strong performances over the weekend as well
What’s Next?
Given the (relatively) weaker field here, this leaderboard shook out pretty well. You had rookies, young guns, reliable vets, and a sprinkle of major winners / fan favorites. As expected, Detroit Golf Club was set up for a shootout.
For the Tour? The Rocket seems to be a “get right” event - or a “who’s that?” launchpad.
Next Stop: John Deere Classic. Open Championship quickly approaching. Potgieter’s rocket ride is just beginning - and if you’re betting long-term, circle his name. If Detroit taught us anything this week, it’s that the young guns are not waiting their turn.
Rocket Classic Quick Stats:
Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green Leaders
Matt Fitzpatrick (+2.97)
Aldrich Potgieter (+2.74)
Collin Morikawa (+2.61)
Strokes Gained: Putting Leaders
Andrew Putnam (+2.37)
Max Greyserman (+2.21)
Matt McCarty (+2.00)
Tourney Preview
2025 John Deere Classic Preview:
Where Futures are Forged
The PGA Tour rolls into Silvis, Illinois, this week for the 54th edition of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run. While it may not boast the star-studded field of a major, this tournament has a knack for spotlighting emerging talents and delivering thrilling finishes. With a >$8M purse and FedExCup points on the line, it’s a pivotal stop for some aiming to solidify their standing before the playoffs.
The Track
TPC Deere Run isn’t a brute - it’s more of a birdie playground. Set along the Rock River in Illinois, this 7,289-yard par-71 layout serves wide fairways, soft greens, and green lights galore.
Over half the winners here have gone 20-under or better, and Michael Kim’s 27-under in 2018 is still one of the lowest totals in PGA Tour history. This one offers a nice mix of drivable par-4s, gettable par-5s, and the final three holes? Risk-reward stage setters that have hosted buzzer beaters - remember Spieth’s bunker shot in 2013?
In short: TPC Deere Run is a soft handshake, not a sucker punch. Don’t mistake that for “easy” - if you’re not making birdies, you’re losing ground.
Who’s Playing (& their OWGR Rank)?
Ben Griffin (17th), Sungjae Im (25th), Jason Day (28th), JT Poston (43rd), Denny McCarthy (45th), Lucas Glover (46th), Aldrich Potgieter (49th), Matt McCarty (53rd), Michael Kim (55th)
Others: Max Homa (99th), Rickie Fowler (111th), Luke Clanton (121st), Michael La Sasso
John Deere Classic Quick Stats:
Course: TPC Deere Run (Silvis, Illinois)
Par: 71
Distance: 7,289 yards
Purse: $8,400,000
Recent Champs: Davis Thompson (2024), Sepp Straka (2023), JT Poston (2022), Lucas Glover (2021)
Picks & Players to Watch
Every pick was nailed last week… just saying…
Top 20s: Bud Cauley (+190), Samuel Stevens (+210), Denny McCarthy (+140), Ben Griffin (+100)
Disclaimer: The picks and predictions in The Tee Sheet are for informational and entertainment purposes only.
Ryder Cup Rankings Tracker
Team USA:
Patrick Reed wins LIV Golf Dallas and strengthens his case for Team USA and Max Greyserman creeps into Datagolf’s probability model (albeit a longshot)
Team Europe:
Matt Fitzpatrick strengthens his Team Europe likelihood after a strong performance at the Rocket Classic
The Weekly Rundown
Stories to Know This Week
🔥 Captain America Returns: Patrick Reed Wins LIV Dallas in Playoff
Patrick Reed clinched his first LIV Golf title at Maridoe Golf Club, sinking a 17-foot birdie putt to win a 4-man playoff
This victory marks Reed’s first win on the circuit in 41 starts in LIV
Will the win strengthen his Ryder Cup chances? The conversation continues to boil…
🏆 Senior Tour - Padraig Harrington Secures US Senior Open Title
Padraig Harrington won the US Senior Open At Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, beating Stewart Cink by a shot
🏆 DP World Tour - Saddier Captures First Win
French golfer Adrien Saddier secured his first DP World Tour victory at the Italian Open, qualifying him for the Open Championship
Player Spotlight
Aldrich Potgieter
You might not have had Aldrich Potgieter on your betting slip last week, but you’re going to want to keep him on your radar going forward. So who is the 20-year-old South African that just won the Rocket Classic?
Quick Bio
Age: 20
Hometown: Pretoria, South Africa
Claim to Fame: Youngest ever Korn Ferry Tour winner (at age 19)
What’s Different About Him?
Potgieter’s calling card is raw, unfiltered power. He has averaged 320+ yards off the tee at this season and it helped it win at the Rocket Classic. Combine this distance with a short game that’s likely to improve with time, and we’ve got a future problem on our hands.
What’s Next?
With full PGA Tour status locked up through 2026, Potgieter now shifts his focus to bigger stages. Probably too soon to start bringing him into big tourney conversations, but it’s unfair to ignore the potential now that he’s shown some playoff poise. Could he be a future Presidents Cup pick? Too soon? Maybe one day.
Author’s Note
That’s a wrap on this week’s issue - the Summer stretch continues, and we are one week closer to another major.
Thanks again for making The Tee Sheet a part of your weekly routine - appreciate you taking the time to read it if you made it this far. If you’re enjoying it, send it over to a golf buddy who’d get a kick out of it. Word of mouth beats any algorithm.
Back in your inbox next Wednesday with another full swing at it.