Robin Williams during round 4 of the 2024 Fortress Invitational at Glendower Golf Club Youngster Robin Williams will make his debit at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in December. Picture: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour
Two young South Africans, Robin Williams and Aldrich Potgieter will make their debuts in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in December.
Williams, 23, was given a personal invitation by tournament host Gary Player after the youngster’s stellar performances over the past season on the Sunshine Tour.
Williams finished second on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, which secured him a DP World Tour card which will see him expand his horizons to Europe in the coming season. For his strong performances, Williams also earned the Rookie of the Year award last season.
Potgieter, meanwhile, became the second youngest-ever to earn a US PGA Tour card, via the Korn Ferry Tour (KFT) moneylist earlier this month.
The 20-year-old Potgieter finished 29th on the KFT moneylist, with the top-30 earning playing privileges for next season on the PGA Tour. The KFT is the secondary golf tour in the USA.
Having turned 20 last month, Potgieter already made headlines on the KFT when he became the youngest winner in the tour’s history at 19 years, four months and 11 days when he won the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic.
The powerfully-built Potgieter led the driving distance on the KFT this season, with his average driving distance standing at a staggering 336.5 yards (307.69m).
Also among his growing list of achievements is the 59 he shot in the Astara Golf Championship earlier this season while still a teenager.
Like fellow SA golf star Louis Oosthuizen who won The Open Championship in 2010, Potgieter also hails from Mossel Bay.
He is also no stranger to making headlines, as he won the 127th Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2022. This is an incredible feat for any amateur golfer, but the fact that Potgieter was 17 at the time made it even more incredible.