"We have all been there": Fans react to Aldrich Potgieter's disastrous shot at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Aldrich Potgieter walked into the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week on the back of a brilliant performance at the Mexico Open. He had finished second behind Brian Campbell after losing the final play-off.

The 20-year-old was immediately touted as a rising star after his campaign at the Mexico Open. However, he struggled to perform in the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Thursday.

The South African golfer started off his debut at Bay Hill on a high note as he recorded a birdie in his tee shot. But he went on to card a double-bogey on the infamous par-5 6th hole later. It is indeed a difficult hole to navigate and the winds that day didn't make it any easier.

In a disastrous move, Potgieter topped his shot as the ball landed straight in the water. NUCLR Golf posted a video of the shot on their X (formerly Twitter) account.

Fans gave their opinions about Potgieter's struggle in Round 1 of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in the comment section, with one user writing:

"OMG, we have all been there. Golf has a way of humbling you, quick. My best round was when I did two things, aimed for the middle of the green, and left no puts short."

"NEVER birdie the first hole" one fan warned.

"That had to have hit something…? No? That launch angle and that clubhead speed, there’s no way that ball lands there. Or am I dumb." another wrote.

"I no longer feel embarrassed about chunking my driver"

"If I birdie the first hole I’m packing up and going home. It only gets worse from there and I’d rather end on a high note" one fan said.

"Oh yeah. There it is. The feeling... golf is a rude game" another added.

However, Aldrich Potgieter wasn't the only player to suffer a bad round on Thursday. It was pretty much a carnage out there at Bay Hill in Round 1, with Cameron Young and Max Homa also struggling to put up decent performances.

In fact, at one point in the round, only 15% of the players on course had recorded under par scores.

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What is Aldrich Potgieter's current score after Round 1 of the Arnold Palmer Invitational?

Aldrich Potgieter (Source: Getty)

Aldrich Potgieter is currently ranked T65 with a total score of 7-over after the culmination of Round 1 of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Wyndham Clark is currently leading the standings with a 5-under total score. He is trailed by Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Shane Lowry and Christiaan Bezuidenhout at T2. All four golfers have carded a score of 3-under.

Potgieter still has three more rounds to put up a better performance at Bay Hill. For the second round, he will tee off alongside J.J. Spaun at 11:10 am ET.