Ludvig

Åberg

Aberg was staring up at Matt Fitzpatrick to start the day and opened with a bogey, for the third straight day, to drop him even further off the pace. He rebounded from there with seven birdies while avoiding any more blemishes. Highlights included a four-hole birdie train at 14 through 17. Aberg carded four sub-68 rounds for the week, in his tournament debut. “Winning any tournament is a lot of fun, to do it this quickly (as a professional), I’m over the moon.” The young Swede entered the week still on the Ryder Cup bubble but this cemented his spot, earning a captain’s pick from Luke Donald. The sky is the limit for the former World No. 1 Amateur.

Making his debut at Sedgefield Country Club, Aberg started on the 10th tee and traded two bogeys with one birdie before making the turn. “My first nine was a little bit more difficult. We had a lot of rain actually, which made it pretty difficult, ball wasn’t flying as far. But I just told myself to keep playing and knowing that you’ll get some opportunities with some wedges in par 5s.” He capitalized on the homeward half, scribbling five birdies without dropping a shot on his way into the clubhouse. He gained 4.2 strokes over the field with his 5-under 30. Aberg mentioned being a bit tired, still getting acclimated to the life of pro golf, but he remains one of the top rising stars on the PGA Tour.

The Swede nearly struck a perfect game on day one (14 fairways, 17 GIR) and he continues his onslaught with the driver. He led the field in strokes gained off-the-tee in round one and gained 2.1 more strokes today in that department (second behind only Cameron Champ). “My driver’s been behaving quite well this week so far, so gives me a lot of chances, gives me a lot of birdie looks. And I’ve been able to take advantage of the par 5s, which is the key out here. Really look forward to the weekend, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

The young Swede lapped the field on the tee box today. He piped all 14 fairways while averaging 314 yards with his drives. “driver is one of my favorite clubs and I like hitting it. Obviously you’re not going to hit the fairway every time, but hopefully I’ll be able to keep it up the next couple of days as well.” The former World No. 1 Amateur arrived with back-to-back top 25s to start his pro career and showing no sign of slowing down in Detroit.

The Texas Tech product put his driver on full display this week at Oakdale Golf & Country Club. He gained 6.2 strokes off-the-tee which led the field by week’s end. The putter held him back as he lost 2.6 strokes with the flat stick but it was still a strong debut for the young Swede. “Can’t wait for the next one. But obviously I’m pleased with how I played. Pleased with how I finished today especially. Obviously, as a competitor it’s always stuff that you want to improve on and that stuff. But it was cool. It was fun. Obviously a lot of new experiences and a lot of new, with the whole new environment. But I really enjoyed it and looking forward to the next one.” His driver stacked up with Rory McIlroy’s from a statistical perspective which is certainly a fun skill to have in your bag.

The young Swede may be making his first start as a pro golfer but he proved quickly that his game belongs. He gained 2.7 strokes off-the-tee this morning, walking off the course easily ranked number one in the field. On the flip side, he landed just 12 greens in regulation, losing close to a stroke on approach. “I was nervous. I mean, I think it would have been weird if I wasn’t nervous. But I tried to embrace it. I tried to view it as something fun. " The former World No. 1 amateur will need to tidy up his iron play if he wants to rise on the leaderboard by week’s end.

The young Swede finished first in the PGA TOUR University Rankings while playing for Texas Tech. That earned him a PGA TOUR card for the remainder of the season as well as the 2024 campaign. While he’s never been to Canada before this week, he did say it feels comfortable, “It reminds me a lot of back home, actually. Just the way that the course looks like and kind of the whole environment. So I like it. It’s familiar.” You can find Aberg around the +5000 to +6000 range in the outright market this week. That’s a pretty lofty price for someone making their pro debut but he’s proven he has the tools to contend based on his body of work at Texas Tech and a top 25 at Bay Hill, earlier this year.

The young Swede spent his college days at Texas Tech and played his way into the World No. 1 spot and he’s played in that role since March. Aberg is the first golfer to lock up a PGA TOUR card straight from college via the new PGA TOUR University benefits. He will be subject to reshuffles alongside the Korn Ferry and DP World Tour grads. The Texas Tech product has played in five PGA TOUR events, making the cut in three of them, including a T24 at this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. Gamers should expect to see his name often on the summer schedule and a top 25 at Bay Hill proves that he has the tools to contend on the big stage.

The Texas Tech junior, in the field on a sponsor invite, is the current No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, chasing No. 1 Keita Nakajima, who finished an impressive T28 at last week’s ZOZO in Japan in his TOUR debut. The Swede, who turns 22 this Sunday (Oct. 31st), secured All-America honors last season (2020-21) with a 70.57 scoring average and winning two times in 11 stroke-play events with nine top-10 finishes. At the halfway mark, he’s recorded a pair of 68s, totaled one eagle and eight birdies against four bogeys, and currently ranks T8 in greens in regulation at 72.22 percent (26/36), hitting 13 GIR in both of his walks around Port Royal GC thus far.