Aldrich Potgieter showed his ability to shoot low Friday in the Mexico Open, powering and putting his way to a 10-under 61 that gave the big-hitting South African a four-shot lead going into the weekend at Vidanta Vallarta.

Potgieter chipped in for par after a tee shot into the water on the 10th hole. He failed to birdie two of the shorter par 5s on the back nine. He still had an outside chance at another sub-60 round, having shot 59 on the Korn Ferry Tour a year ago.

Those hopes ended with a tee shot into the bunker on the par-5 18th hole, and an approach that came up short into a bunker. The ball stayed near the lip, making it difficult for him to get the 20-yard bunker shot close. He two-putted from 25 feet for par.

“But it was OK,” he said of the par. “I knew I made a lot of extra birdies throughout the day where that wasn’t going to hurt me.”

Potgieter tied the course record and was at 16-under 126, four shots ahead of Stephan Jaeger (64) and Brian Campbell, who birdied his last hole for a second straight 65.

It was superb display for Potgieter, who won the 2022 British Amateur at age 17 and last year became the youngest player (19) to win on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“I love the golf course. It definitely suits my game, I think, in a lot of aspects,” Potgieter said. “If I can keep putting well, I think it should be pretty good.”

His power and ball-striking stand out. His putter is what led to the 61, with Potgieter holing seven putts from the 10-foot range or longer. That doesn’t include the 10th, where his tee shot found the water, he came up just short of the green and chipped in from 20 feet for par.

He reached the 661-yard 12th hole in two by hitting driver off the fairway to just over 20 feet.

“I’ve been practicing, doing a drill on the driving range with teeing it really low and hitting it really good with the driver that way,” Potgieter said. “I was telling my caddie, ‘Let’s just do the same thing.’ It was a perfect number, so yeah, hit the perfect shot.”

LPGA Tour

Sponsor invite Akie Iwai of Japan shot a 5-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the LPGA’s Thailand tournament at Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course.

After an opening-round 62, Iwai had a two-round total of 13-under 129.

The 22-year-old Iwai earned her LPGA tour membership after finishing in a tie for fifth at the LPGA Final Qualifier last year.

American Angel Yin shot 64 Friday and was in second place. J eeno Thitikul, the world No. 2 who turned 22 on Thursday, was tied for third place, also after a 64.

“Today, I shot well and putted well. My distance control was good. That’s why I made a lot of birdies,” said Iwai.

The event is the first stop of the LPGA’s so-called Asian swing before the tour moves to Singapore and China over the next two weeks.