South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter has withdrawn from the 2025 John Deere Classic following round three at TPC Deere Run.
The most recent PGA Tour winner - who earned his debut victory at last week's Rocket Classic via a tense three-way playoff - was going well through 36 holes after posting scores of 67 and 66.
That left him at nine-under for the tournament and in contention for a remarkable second title in a row.
However, a couple of hours after a five-over round of 76 on Saturday, the longest hitter on the PGA Tour had pulled out of the John Deere Classic - confirmed by a post from PGA Tour Communications.
No official reason was provided for Potgieter's early exit as the former Amateur Championship winner became the fourth withdrawal from the tournament.
Aldrich Potgieter is a WD following the third round of the John Deere Classic.July 5, 2025
Andrew Putnam pulled out midway through the second round due to a back injury following a score of 71 on Thursday. He was sat at three-over after starting on the back nine at TPC Deere Run and made a double-bogey on the 18th before informing officials of his decision.
Another player who suffered a back injury which curtailed his tournament was Nicholas Lindheim. The 40-year-old American was making a rare start on the PGA Tour and battled to an opening 75, but he opted to withdraw shortly before play began on Friday due to his issue.
The first pro to pull out of this week's John Deere Classic was 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open champion, Stephan Jaeger. The German had not long signed for an opening three-over-par score of 74 when he announced he would be leaving the event.
However, just like Potgieter, no official reason was given for the World No.56's early exit as he followed up two missed cuts in his past three starts with a WD.
At the opposite end of the leaderboard at TPC Deere Run, Davis Thompson leads four players by one stroke on 15-under. The defending champion claimed his first PGA Tour win here last year and could be on track to double up if he can hold off the likes of Max Homa, Emiliano Grillo, David Lipsky and Brian Campbell.
