Swedish PGA Tour newcomer Ludvig Aberg is an anomaly in golf. He’s also a star in the making, as he is currently tied for fourth at The Players after shooting a 67 with two eagles in his round.
But it’s not his first time playing TPC Sawgrass. He was in the Junior Players AJGA competition several years ago.
“Obviously, we played in August, so it was a little different. Bermuda everywhere, but yeah, visually it's the same golf course,” Aberg said. “I was a little bit thinner and a little bit smaller back a couple years ago, so I didn't hit the ball quite as far.”
Aberg said playing in the Junior Players definitely helped him this week at THE PLAYERS.
“I felt like I was striking the ball quite well. Never really put myself in danger of losing too many strokes,” he said about his first round at his first Players. “Obviously THE PLAYERS is the fifth major, and it's a really big tournament.”
A beneficiary of the new PGA Tour University rating for college golfers, Aberg was able to play on the PGA Tour after finishing first in the PGA Tour U last spring.
Because of that program, he was able to play on the PGA Tour for the rest of 2023 and all of 2024.
Aberg (pronounced OH berg) jumped right in and entered the RBC Canadian Open, Travelers’ Championship, Rocket Mortgage Classic and the John Deere Classic. He made the cut in all of them with his highest finish a fourth at John Deere.
Then he went back across the Atlantic and played in the Genesis Scottish Open, but he did not make the cut there.
Aberg returned to the U.S. where he entered the 3M and then the Wyndham, the last two tournaments before the FedEx Playoffs.
When the Playoffs began, he went back to Europe where he was able to play in the D&D Real Czech Masters.
His next tournament was a huge breakthrough. It was the Omega European Masters tournament, and he won it.
There, he beat Matthew Fitzpatrick, who won the U.S. Open a couple years ago, and 154 other professionals who are regulars on the DP World Tour.
He was so impressive that Luke Donald selected him as a captain’s choice for the Ryder Cup.
The very next week, Aberg was back in the states playing fall events, starting with Sanderson Farms, where he was in a playoff, followed by Shriners Children’s Open and the World Wide Technology Championship.
After that, there was only one event left, Davis Love III’s tournament, the RSM Classic at Sea Island. Amazingly, Aberg won it, securing an exemption for two years on the PGA Tour.
When asked about winning at Sea Island, enjoying the Junior Players and doing well in this part of the world, Aberg said, “I love the golf course. I love Florida. I love Jacksonville. I just happen to have been playing well in this part of the corner.”
