Photo Credit: AP Photo/Paul Sancya

We got plenty of free extra golf this week, with both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf delivering playoffs.

The PGA Tour stopped in Detroit for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and it looked like a shootout was going to unfold. Five players fired 63 or better in the opening round, with Kevin Roy and Aldrich Potgieter each carding a blistering 62 to set a new single-round tournament record. Their mark didn’t last long. On Friday, Jake Knapp came out hot with a stunning 61, breaking the record again and jumping 123 spots on the leaderboard to sit in 7th heading into the weekend.

Saturday belonged to the young South African Potgieter. His 65 gave him a two-shot lead going into the final round, but he wasn’t safe. Right behind him was a hungry pack, including Max Greyserman, Mark Hubbard, and Chris Kirk, all eager to cash in on crucial FedEx Cup points with only seven events left before the playoffs, including the final major, The Open.

Sunday showed just how tough it is to close out a win on the PGA Tour. Everyone in the top 20 finished within four shots of the eventual winner, making for a tense, edge-of-your-seat finish. Chris Kirk put up a strong round of 67 to set the clubhouse lead at 22 under. As group after group came in, no one could quite match him.

Then came the final pairing. Potgieter, with a chance to one-up Kirk from just over 35 feet, couldn’t get it to drop. Greyserman stepped up with a very makable 15-footer to win outright but watched it slide just past the edge. That meant a three-man playoff between Kirk, Potgieter, and Greyserman to decide the 2025 Rocket Mortgage Classic.

It would take five playoff holes and a little over an hour on Sunday evening to finally crown a champion in Detroit. All three players showed exactly why they led the field in Strokes Gained for the week, each making par on the first extra hole. Chris Kirk had the best look to close it out with a putt just outside 10 feet, but it slid by on the high side.

They moved on to the par-3 15th, playing just under 160 yards. Potgieter went long but displayed nerves of steel by getting up and down and sinking a clutch six-footer for par. Greyserman had a great chance to seal the win from about 12 feet short of the flag, but his putt missed low. Kirk found the green but left himself nearly 60 feet and couldn’t two-putt for par, ending his playoff hopes.

Down to just Potgieter and Greyserman, it turned into a duel for their first PGA Tour victory. They traded pars on the third playoff hole, the 16th, and matching birdies on the fourth, the par-5 14th, keeping the pressure sky high.

Returning once more to the 15th tee for the fifth playoff hole, Greyserman adjusted from his earlier attempt and took an extra club, but found the front of the green and left himself about 35 feet. His birdie putt would slide by, opening the door for Potgieter. The young South African dialed in, took one less club than earlier, and stuffed it to around 15 feet. This time the win wasn’t going to slip away, and he rolled it in to secure his first PGA Tour title.

It was a huge moment for the 20-year-old, making him the ninth-youngest winner on Tour since 1983. It also adds to an already impressive résumé that includes being the youngest winner on the Korn Ferry Tour at just over 19 years and 4 months old last season. The emotion poured out of Potgieter, who let a win slip by earlier this year in a playoff in Mexico. Given his poise and talent, you get the feeling this is only the beginning of what could be a very long and successful career.

That was only half the story from the week, though. LIV Golf held an event in Dallas, Texas at Maridoe Golf Club, and yes, everything is bigger in Texas, even their golf courses. I had the chance to spend some time around Maridoe a couple of years ago, and from the moment I stepped on the property, I had a feeling it was a big-boy golf course.

This was LIV Golf’s second time at Maridoe after hosting the 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship there last September. This time though, the players faced the dried-out, middle-of-summer Dallas heat, which turned it into a true test both physically and mentally. Brooks Koepka found that out quickly with an opening-round 81, leading to his withdrawal from the tournament.

Patrick Reed and Harold Varner came out hot on day one, each firing five-under 67s, some of the best rounds of the week, with Jon Rahm and others close behind. The round of the tournament, however, belonged to Tyrrell Hatton, who put together a brilliant seven-under 65 on Saturday. On tough courses like Maridoe, where thick rough, long fescue, and water lurk everywhere, it’s hard for anyone to separate from the field.

Heading into Sunday, there was a long list of players chasing the title, with some also hoping to lock up a spot in this year’s final major, The Open, coming up in a couple of weeks at Royal Portrush. Who else but Sergio Garcia would rise to the occasion, shooting a final-round two-under to secure 5th place in the LIV Individual race and his place in The Open. It’ll be his 102nd major appearance and his 26th Open.

While Garcia punched his ticket to The Open, the rest of the field had their eyes on the LIV Golf title and its hefty four-million-dollar prize. The championship came down to a four-man playoff between Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen, Paul Casey, and Jinichiro Kozuma, with the record-breaking LIV Golf crowd on hand to watch it unfold. Tyrrell Hatton, along with three others, unfortunately bogeyed the final hole to finish just one shot short of joining them.

The playoff didn’t last long. Most of the players missed the green and were left scrambling for par or bogey, but Reed had a birdie chance and didn’t let it slip, sealing his first win on LIV. With this victory and how solid he’s been at the majors so far this year, could we see Patrick Reed play his way onto another Ryder Cup team?

With The Open, the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and so many big events still ahead, every player knows what’s at stake. Each round, each shot, could be the difference between making a Ryder Cup team or watching from home. Over the next couple of months, the pressure will only build, and the stage is set for someone to step up and deliver a moment we won’t soon forget. The race is on, and the entire golf world is holding its breath to see who will rise to the occasion.