The PGA Tour is about to have a new long drive king.
Christo Lamprecht is a 24-year-old, 203cm (six feet, eight inches) tall South African who is set to light up the PGA Tour after graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour on Sunday.
Lamprecht, who will be the tallest golfer on the PGA Tour next year, is almost the exact prototype of a new generation of golfer with an athletic build more commonly seen in a Springboks pack, who can blast the ball as far as the eye can see.
FOX SPORTS, available on Kayo Sports, is streaming The 2025 PGA Tour LIVE & Exclusive | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
On the secondary US Tour this year, Lamprecht averaged 302.75 metres (331.1 yards) off the tee, while he once rocketed a drive in competition 418 yards — even further than the iconic 400-yard Happy Gilmore drive.
That numbers was matched by Chase Sienkiewicz, but it bettered the PGA Tour driving distance leader Aldrich Potgieter at 296.99m (324.8 yards).
Potgieter, a 21-year-old fellow South African who spent much of his childhood in Perth, eclipsed second-placed Rory McIlroy by 1.64m (1.8 yards) in his rookie season, which also included a maiden victory at the Rocket Classic in June.
FRENCH LICK, INDIANA – OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Korn Ferry Tour president Alex Baldwin, Christo Lamprecht of South Africa and PGA TOUR Chief Executive Officer Brian Rolapp pose for a photo during the TOUR Bound ceremony after the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance 2025 at French Lick Golf Resort on October 12, 2025 in French Lick, Indiana. Mike Mulholland/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Mike Mulholland / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
But despite the statistics, Lamprecht admits that his countryman has his measure at the moment.
“I think if we play a tournament round of golf, I think Aldrich is longer, but I think if we go and mess around at the back of the range, I might get him a little bit on speed, but he hits it a country mile and he hits it really straight most of the time,” he told Golfweek.
“But I’m more impressed with his power. I’m 6’8” and just use gravity to my advantage, whereas it’s pretty awesome to see his body moving and kind of the way he creates speed. He’s something to see close up.
“I don’t know what they feed us down in South Africa.”
Height runs in the Lamprecht genes as his father stands 193cm tall (six feet, four inches), his grandfather was also 203cm (six feet, eight inches), while his great grandfather was a whopping 213cm (seven feet).
Lamprecht therefore has the perfect recipe for the type of long leavers that can help launch a golf ball long and high.
“I was slightly above average starting high school, 5’7”, but in my first two years during high school is kind of when my length all of a sudden just came about,” he recalled.
“I think I grew a foot the first two years in high school. When I left high school, I was 6’8” and luckily I haven’t grown much since.”
The Lamprechts also grew up next to South African golfing royalty.
“We have a family beach house in Herold’s Bay two doors down from where Ernie Els resides most of his time when he comes back,” Lamprecht said.
“So, growing up and seeing him on my porch a couple times and being a four-year-old, five-year-old kid that just starting out playing golf and hearing about this big name, Ernie at the time and he was at the top of his peak, it was awesome.
“I looked up to him a lot, and just listening to some stories and sitting on the porch late night at my uncle’s and just listening to some cool stories.”
As a youngster, Lamprecht was also in Louis Oosthuizen’s golf academy, and the 2010 Open champion, who has finished runner-up in all four majors, still acts as a mentor.
Oosthuizen’s words of wisdom, and some of Els’ advice over the years, were no doubt ringing in Lamprecht’s ears when he won the British Amateur in 2023.
He played in The Open and The Masters as a result, making the cut at Royal Liverpool two years ago and even sitting atop the leaderboard during the first round.
“Hopefully one day I’ll be walking down 18 the last day, not the first day with my name on top but it was awesome to take the world by storm a little bit and it was cool to see that my good golf is good enough to compete with anyone,” Lamprecht said.
“That was kind of the main takeaway I had. I need to pick up the loose ends and clean up all around. That’s the difference between a guy like me and Scottie Scheffler.
“He hits a lot better bad shots than I do. I felt like I was ready to turn pro and that experience of being in contention early on will serve me well hopefully in my future.”
He followed that up by finishing second in the rankings for the 2024 class of PGA Tour U while in his final year of college golf at Georgia Tech.
The moment that truly thrust him into the spotlight in America, however, was his breakthrough Korn Ferry Tour victory at the Pinnacle Bank Championship in Augusta.
It was no ordinary win as Lamprecht holed out from a bunker beside the 18th green for birdie to seal the maiden professional triumph.
But the aftermath of the massive moment was also an instant reality hit of the nature of professional golf.
“It took a while to kick in,” he said.
“My South African friend, Barend Botha, finished up on the front nine just before I did so he saw the commotion and came over to congratulate me and poured some water all over me but it was hard to celebrate when you have a 6am flight the next morning.
“But my agent flew in earlier that day and so we had some steaks and good wine for dinner and it was awesome.”
OWASSO, OK – OCTOBER 3: Christo Lamprecht of South Africa hits his tee shot on the first hole during the second round of the Compliance Solutions Championship at The Patriot Golf Club on October 3, 2025 in Owasso, Oklahoma. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Lamprecht was also able to share the moment with his cousin Christian, who has been his caddie since he turned professional.
Christian made waves on social media after he was seen throwing his cousin’s putter away in celebration after the winning bunker shot dropped.
The pair have been inseparable since a young age, and will relish the chance to share the PGA Tour journey together.
“We grew up together about five houses down from each other. We spent about six or seven days together a week,” Lamprecht said.
“It’s been something that we’ve talked about our entire lives as kids and he was really good at cricket and so I always said if my golf doesn’t work out and his cricket works out, then I’ll become his manager.
“He’s been like a brother to me and it’s awesome having him on the bag 24/7.”
FRENCH LICK, INDIANA – OCTOBER 11: Christo Lamprecht of South Africa hits a tee shot on the fourth hole during the third round of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance 2025 at French Lick Golf Resort on October 11, 2025 in French Lick, Indiana. Mike Mulholland/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Mike Mulholland / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
It has also been an important grounding year for Lamprecht, and one that makes him feel ready for the day-to-day grind of the PGA Tour, and the many challenges it presents.
“I have never in my life played that much golf,” Lamprecht said of turning professional.
“I always had time to practice to get ready for golf tournaments and it was kind of just like this ongoing circus and I never felt like I could get off for three seconds.
“That for me was a big adjustment and kind of adjusting my game to what the Korn Ferry demands.
“I think college golf is a little more focused on shooting two or three under and out here you gotta go five under or below every single day.
“It took a little while for me to adjust. It kind of gave me some motivation to see guys I played against have success – if they can do it I can do it mentality.
“Yeah, it might’ve been frustrating at times not seeing my name up there and but it was nice motivation, knowing that it’s around the corner.”
