The 150th Open. The 87th Masters. The 123rd US Open.
This is where teenage sensation Aldrich Potgieter will be heading in the year after he claimed amateur golf’s biggest prize with his dream win in the 127th Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes on Saturday.
In a thrilling 36-hole final at the Lancashire links, the 17-year-old South African displayed a maturity beyond his years and stood his ground in the face of a superb comeback from Englishman Sam Bairstow to seal a nail-biting 3 & 2 victory.
With the win, Potgieter became the third SA to lift the prestigious title after Bobby Cole (Carnoustie, 1966) and Jovan Rebula (Royal Aberdeen, 2018), and the second youngest winner of The Amateur since Matteo Manassero triumphed in 2009 at the age of 16.
"It's really amazing," Potgieter said.
"I can't really find the words; there's no feeling like it and I haven't felt this good before. It will take some time to sink in, because right now the words can't even come out of my mind to describe how I feel."
The GolfRSA National Squad member was extraordinarily impressive over nine rounds considering this was his first-ever visit to the UK and only his third competitive start on British soil.
He laid down a marker for the life-changing achievement with rounds of 71 (Royal Lytham) and 69 (St Annes Old Links) in the 36-hole stroke play qualifier – won by fellow squad member and reigning SA Stroke Play champion Jono Broomhead – to advance to the match play stage.
Potgieter then made quick work of his first-round match against Englishman Monty Scowsill (6 & 4) and exacted revenge for his Louis Oosthuizen Junior Golf Academy teammate Jordan Duminy, who was knocked out by Matteo Cristoni in the top 64 play-off, by beating the Italian 3 & 2.
Having to face squad captain and mentor Kyle de Beer, of Gqeberha, in the top 16 proved quite a bit tougher, but the Southern Cape junior edged the reigning SA Amateur champion with a par on the 19th hole.
For the next 72 holes, with 2022 Brabazon Trophy winner Christiaan Maas on the bag, Potgieter was formidable.
The Mossel Bay teen knocked out Germany’s Laurenz Schiergen 2 & 1 to set up a semifinal clash with Alex Maguire, fresh off his East of Ireland Amateur Open win, and produced a strong finish to down the Irishman 3 & 1.
Match play can easily play with your emotions and none more so than going into a 36-hole final.
Facing Bairstow, the 2021 Brabazon Trophy winner and obvious crowd favourite, was always going to be tall order, but Potgieter quickly stamped his mark on the match and a superb bogey-free four-under-par 66 in the morning session earned him a seven-up lead.
"On this golf course, going bogey-free on the first 18 holes was incredible for me," Potgieter said.
"I played really well, and everything worked out in the morning. I expected Sam to do better than he did in the morning. He didn't play too well, but I knew he was going to come out strong; he wasn't going to give up. I just had to play steady and keep my lead."
He conceded the 21st hole to a Bairstow birdie, and the Englishman won the 24th with a birdie, but the big-hitting South African reclaimed a six-up lead with a birdie of his own on the 26th hole.
Bairstow's charge gained momentum on the back nine and the Hallowes golfer clawed back the 28th, 30th and 31st holes.
Potgieter's lead was cut to just two-up after he doubled the 32nd hole, but with four holes to play, his superb short-game held up under pressure.
"At the beginning of this week, I just tried to make the cut to make the match play, and then I just went from there, match by match," Potgieter said.
Potgieter’s achievement at Royal Lytham, combined with his rise in the world rankings over the last three years, has been nothing short of spectacular.
Ranked 140th before the dream week at Royal Lytham, Potgieter has cemented his spot alongside fellow GolfRSA National Squad members Casey Jarvis and Yurav Premlall in the International Team for the 2022 Junior Presidents Cup in North Carolina in September.
But first, he can now look forward to competing in the 150th Open at St Andrews in July.
"I'm really excited. I played the Old Course recently during The St Andrews Links Trophy and it was really amazing," said the young champion.
"I think the course is going to get in better shape and I'm really looking forward to the experience. The Open has always been my favourite Major because of all the history it holds.
"I never in my wildest dreams would have thought I'd be playing The Open at this age. It’s a dream come true and it’s going to be a tough few weeks, waiting out the return trip back to St Andrews."