Ludvig Åberg is using an extra piece of equipment at Valhalla Golf Club this week.
It wraps around his knee.
“I’m wearing a brace just for safety reasons,” said Åberg, who withdrew from last week’s Wells Fargo Championship because of a knee injury, “but it’s nothing that’s bothering me. I’m focusing on the golf.”
Åberg didn’t reveal which knee or what specifically was causing him issue, simply that the “knee’s good,” he trusts his doctors and spent last week getting the knee ready for his second career major start.
In his first major start, last month at the Masters, Åberg finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at Augusta National. On a long and wet Valhalla layout that features zoysia fairways and thick, bluegrass rough guarding them, Åberg likes how the course fits his game. He’s third on Tour in total driving, the sum of a player’s ranks in driving distance and driving accuracy, and No. 13 in strokes gained: off-the-tee.
“I like to think that I can hit it high and long,” Åberg said. “That way, you know, you take away a lot of those things, I guess. It’s quite nice because the zoysia grass in the fairways, you can actually launch it pretty high with the irons because it’s sitting up so high. You can get a little bit more smash on it.”
Åberg added that Valhalla, or a few holes at least, reminds him of Whispering Pines, where the 2022 Big 12 Championship was played. Åberg won by two shots that week, beating out a field that included Chris Gotterup (runner-up), Eugenio Chacarra, and Pierceson and Parker Coody.
“Mainly because of the zoysia, but also some of the tree-lined holes and some strong par 4s,” Åberg said. “I mean, I love playing tough golf courses. I think it’s fun, and obviously a major tournament is a big test.”
