The Punter's De-brief: Saddier off mark at 200th attempt and Potgieter wins Rocket

• Saddier wins in style in Italy

• South African youngster triumphs in Detroit

• BMW International Open preview here

• Read my John Deere Classic preview here

Last week's Italian Open was the 25^th event of the season on the DP World Tour and no player had won more than one tournament since it all began at the end of November.

As many as 13 of the previous 24 winners were winning their first DP World Tour title, but it looked like that was going to change on Sunday.

The Turkish Airlines Open winner, Martin Couvra, led in Tuscany with 18 to play. The Indian Open winner, Eugenio Chacarra, was tied for second with Adrien Saddier.

Playing in his 200^th event on the DP World Tour, and still in search of his maiden win, the Frenchman was considered the least likely of the front three to win and it looked extremely likely that Couvra or Chacarra would take the title when the pair eased three clear of the field after just five holes.

Chacarra was matched at 2.01/1 when he made his third birdie of the day on the par four fifth before Couvra matched him with a birdie of his own but a double-bogey at the par three, after a very long wait on the tee, stopped the Spaniard in his tracks.

Leading by two after Chacarra's double, Couvra hit a low of 1.68/13 but he bogeyed seven and eight to open up the event.

Trailing by two after a bogey at eight, Saddier was interviewed on the course as he played the ninth. That feels like a daft thing to do and I've definitely witnessed many a player lose focus and perform poorly after the media intrusion. But that certainly wasn't the case with Saddier.

The pre-event 85.084/1 chance hit a nice approach into nine and that seemed to turn his fortunes around.

He narrowly missed the birdie putt there but there was no stopping him after that and he edged ahead of Couvra with birdies at 10, 11, 13, and 14.

Given he was still in search of that illusive first win, it wouldn't have surprised anyone if the 33-year-old Frenchman had got nervous once he hit the front but after a regulation par at 15, the title was effectively decided on the short par four 16^th.

The third-round leader, Couvra, found thick rough off the tee after narrowly avoiding the water and seconds after he's just failed to save par, Saddier poured in his birdie putt from just inside seven feet to ease three clear.

Yet again, the final three-ball needed to wait on the tee before playing the tough par three 17^th but it didn't bother Saddier. He hit a lovely tee shot and followed his par three there with a straightforward par five at the 72^nd hole.

Couvra birdied the last to get to within two, but the day belonged to the older Frenchman who didn't just scramble home for his first DP World Tour title, he won it in style.

What it means to win for the first time on Tour #ItalianOpen pic.twitter.com/yO7atMUpw8

-- DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 29, 2025

Potgieter Rockets to victory

Over on the PGA Tour, the Rocket Classic was a typically tight affair from a long way out.

The 20-year-old South African big-hitter, Aldrich Potgieter, had led the event by two with 18 to play but with five men tied for second and three more tied for seventh and just three off the lead, Sunday was always going to be tough to call. So it proved.

Chris Kirk, who had been tied for the lead at halfway, looked the most likely winner on the back nine after he'd hit the front with his fifth birdie of the day at the 10^th but it took until the par five 17^th for him to make another one and when he left his birdie putt short on 18, he looked vulnerable to a closer.

The well backed, Max Greyserman, who was gambled in form 55.054/1 to 44.043/1 before the off, birdied 16 and 17 to draw alongside Kirk and pre-event 200.0199/1 chance, Potgieter, birdied the 17^th to get to 22-under-par too.

Potgieter made a two-putt par to join Kirk in the clubhouse and Greyserman had a good look at birdie to take the title, but his putt slipped past the hole, and we were into extra-time.

Kirk, who was matched at a low of 1.9110/11, was eliminated at the second extra hole when he bogeyed the par three 15^th hole and Greyserman was matched at just 1.51/2 before the tournament was all decided at the fifth extra hole when the young South African made a birdie two at the par three 15^th.

FOR THE WIN!

Aldrich Potgieter gets it done on the FIFTH playoff hole @RocketClassic. pic.twitter.com/ztQ2FtInky

-- PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2025

Look to Vidanta for clues in Detroit

Greyserman boosted the link between Detroit and two other Donald Ross layouts - Sedgefield and Holston Hills.

Greyserman finished second to Aaron Rai in the Wyndham Championship last year and he was fourth in the Knoxville Open at Holston Hills on debut in 2021, an event Chis Kirk won back in 2010.

Greyserman also finished fourth at the World Wide Technology in Mexico last year but the Mexican event that seems to correlate very nicely is the Mexico Open.

Tony Finau won the Mexico Open at Vidanta Villarta in 2023, a year after he won the Rocket Classic at Detroit, Alex Knapp, who shot 61 on Friday to set the new course record at Detroit (finished tied for fourth, beaten by a stroke), won in Mexico last year. Potgieter was a very unlucky loser at Vidanta back in February when Brian Cambell caught a really lucky break off the tee in extra-time.

This time, Potgieter got the job done.

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