WATCH: Aldrich Potgieter sends his ball into the pond on his way to a poor first round at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Aldrich Potgieter, fresh off of a runner-up finish at the Mexican Open, struggled mightily during the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

On the course's iconic par-5 sixth hole, Potgieter carded a double bogey, including a near-ground ball with his driver off the tee, en route to an opening round seven-over-par 79. The video, posted by Flushing It on X, documents the miscalculated tee shot.

The 20-year-old South African carded a birdie-free 42 on the front nine, which totaled at six over par. However, Potgieter recovered on the back nine, shooting a one-over-par 37, which includes two birdies and three bogeys.

Interestingly, Potgieter's 79 was not the worst score at Bay Hill on Thursday on the notoriously difficult course. Cameron Young, the 13th-ranked golfer in the world less than two years ago, fired a 10-over-par 82 in the opening round. Young is 52nd in the Official World Golf Rankings after an underwhelming 2024 campaign.

Max Homa, another golfer who has plummeted in the World Golf Ranking over the last year, also had a poor showing in round one, shooting a nine-over-par 81. Homa is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour who, less than two years ago, was the fifth-ranked golfer in the world. He's now ranked 66th and hasn't won a PGA Tour event in over two years.

Potgieter aims to continue the hot streak deeper into 2025

Potgieter at the 2025 Mexico Open At VidantaWorld (via Getty)

Despite his poor showing in the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Aldrich Potgieter has been on a hot streak of late, both on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

In Mexico two weeks ago, Potgieter lost the Mexico Open in a playoff to Brian Campbell on the second playoff hole. The tournament would have been Potgieter's first PGA Tour win, with his only professional win coming in January of 2024 on the Korn Ferry Tour at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic.

The 109th-ranked golfer in the world, Potgieter finished tied for 15th at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines this past January. Toward the end of 2024, he had some strong finishes on the DP World Tour.

Last November, he tied for 8th at the BMW Australian PGA Championship. In December, he finished tied for second at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, losing to American Johannes Veerman. Potgieter struggled in the final round, shooting a three-over-par 75.

Potgieter aims to qualify for the American majors in 2025 as a professional after playing in three of the different majors as an amateur in 2022 and 2023. Potgieter qualified for the majors by winning the esteemed British Amateur in 2022.