Wildcard to Ace Card: Ludvig Åberg set to trump the pack at Marco Simone
Ludvig Åberg of Europe during the opening ceremony of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images).
A casual golf fan could be forgiven for not knowing a whole lot about Ludvig Åberg, especially when you consider that even the most die-hard followers of the sport would admit his expected rise has come slightly sooner than expected.
The last time the Ryder Cup was contested, at Whistling Straits in 2021, Åberg was a 21-year-old amateur at Texas Tech University - albeit beginning to make waves as the third ranked amateur in the world. Despite his growing presence and hype, it would have been ludicrous to predict a Ryder Cup debut just two years later, but in Åberg I believe that Team Europe have found a secret weapon that can help them regain the coveted prize.
As someone with no discernible golfing talent, it is hard not to have a small amount of resentment for a six-foot-three, 23-year-old, natural talent with the world at his feet. After looking into his journey however, I find myself struggling to suppress feelings of excitement and admiration for a generational talent that appears to have arrived just in time for Team Europe.
Picking up the sport as an eight-year-old, at his local Eslöv Golf Club, Åberg was quickly identified as a rising star. As a junior golfer, he was the recipient of the Annika Sörenstam Trophy as the winner of the Swedish Teen Tour Order of Merit.
Educated in Sweden until his late teens, Åberg won a place at the prestigious Filbornaskolan boarding school in Helsingborg. At a school with an illustrious list of alumni, including Swedish football legend Henrik Larsson, Åberg was surrounded by some of the best young sporting talent that Sweden had to offer.
Emerging from an environment of excellence, Åberg’s meteoric rise towards the top of the amateur game showed no sign of slowing down. A 7th place finish at TPC Sawgrass for the Junior Players Championship in 2018 advertised his talent on an iconic course, so it was no surprise to see him make his European Tour debut as an amateur in 2018 at the Nordea Masters. A move to the states in 2019, to study at Texas Tech University appears to be a key moment in the Swede’s progression, as he became the top ranked European Amateur inside a year following a series of wins at amateur level.
It took Åberg just two years to reach the summit of the amateur game, ranking as the number one amateur in the world in September 2022. Naturally, the velocity of his rise towards the professional game increased once again as he shot an opening 65 to co-lead the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour. As the recipient of two consecutive Ben Hogan Awards, and after turning down a lucrative offer to join the newly formed LIV Golf Tour, Åberg earned full exemption to the PGA Tour and became a professional in June 2023 thanks to topping the 2022-2023 PGA Tour University rankings.
As an amateur career that boasted thirteen wins came to an end, it would have been sensible to expect a period of adjustment as the level of challenge and quality on the PGA Tour demanded more of the Swedish star - but Åberg had different plans. Three top-25 finishes in the first four starts set the tone for what was to follow, with his first top-5 finish coming at the John Deere Classic just six starts into his professional career.
With murmurs emanating from fans and pundits alike regarding the possibility of Åberg earning a Ryder Cup call up, a run of solid form in Europe all but made up Captain Luke Donald’s mind on this generational talent. A run of three top-10 finishes, including a first DP World Tour win at the Omega European Masters, was enough to fend off strong competition for a seat on the plane to Rome. The call-up to Team Europe came just three months into his professional career, becoming the first player to be called up to play in the Ryder Cup before competing in a major championship.
Despite what looks to be a gamble selection, Åberg’s figures paint a picture that will surely strike fear into USA Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson. Over the past three months, he ranks fourth for strokes gained off-the-tee and arrives as one of the world’s best drivers of the golf ball. A recent win on European soil, chasing down major champion Matt Fitzpatrick in the process, suggests that he is a serious contender and one that Team USA cannot afford to underestimate.
An early Friday foursomes pairing with 2023 Tour Champion Viktor Hovland looks to be the most exciting partnership of the opening day. While we should manage expectations, and of course protect a young man who arrives as a Ryder Cup rookie, it would come as no surprise to see him play all five sessions and condemn the USA to another fruitless visit to Europe.
Follow us on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
#BehindTheTour
