Well, we’ve sort of answered our question before we even asked it: Ludvig Aberg is Europe’s next golf star. In fact, he could be world golf’s next superstar and whilst it is early days to hype a young player too much, many experts believe Aberg is the real deal.
Many serious golf fans will have only heard of him for the first time very recently – after all, he only turned pro in June. Whilst some real lovers of the sport may have followed his college career, we suspect there are rather more fans who only learnt his name after his win at the European Masters and subsequent inclusion in Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team. So, let’s find out a little more about Ludvig Aberg.
Who is Ludvig Aberg?
Well, starting with the basics, Aberg was born on the 31st of October 1999, meaning he will turn 24 shortly after the Ryder Cup. He was born in the small Swedish town of Eslöv, in the south of the country, around 25 miles north of Malmo. He took up golf around the age of seven and it soon became clear he had a real talent.
He was third at the Junior Golf World Cup in 2018 and that same year made his amateur debut on the European Tour, as it was then, playing in the Nordea Masters in his home country. He was ranked outside the world’s top 2,000 at the time but finished 34th after rounds of 67, 72, 72, 67.
In 2019 he entered the US collegiate sports system, playing for Texas Tech’s Red Raiders golf team. That same year he helped his nation win the European Amateur Team Championship and in his new home state of Texas landed the Sun Bowl Marathon All-America Golf Classic – an offseason tournament for America’s best college golfers.
Despite the best efforts of you-know-what to disrupt global sport in 2020 and beyond, Aberg continued to progress and victory in the Jones Cup Invitational, an important amateur tournament, earned him entrance into his first PGA Tour event, the RSM Classic. He played two rounds in even par but missed the cut. That said, he did finish a shot better off than a certain Luke Donald!
He was now ranked the top amateur golfer in Europe and became number amateur three in the world. He played another PGA event, the Bermuda Championship, and this time made the cut. The following year he won the coveted Ben Hogan Award as the best college player in America and in May 2023 he won that accolade for a second time.
Past winners include Rickie Fowler, Patrick Cantlay and in 2019 Aberg’s Ryder Cup teammate Viktor Hovland. The last player to win the award twice was Jon Rahm, which starts to give us an idea of the calibre of player Aberg could well become. Along the way he competed in a number of events on the European and US tours, a big highlight being his 24th-placed finish at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Time to Turn Pro
We don’t know if Aberg dreamed he could make the Ryder Cup team when he turned pro in June but after a strong start to life in the pro ranks he certainly made every effort to do so. Due to topping the 2022/23 PGA Tour University standings, he bagged an exemption to compete on the PGA Tour.
He subsequently made his debut at the Canadian Open, won by local player Nick Taylor. Fellow Ryder Cup competitors Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrell Hatton, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy all made the top 10 but Aberg would have been very happy with his tie for 25th. He made the cut again in his next event, the Rocket Mortgage Classic, before landing his first top 10 next time out at the John Deere. A final round 63 shot him up the leaderboard into a tie for fourth and also up the world rankings, moving inside the top 500 for the first time.
He missed the cut at the Scottish Open but was tied for 64th at the Wyndham back in the US. Sensing he could have a chance of making the Ryder Cup team he decided to compete in the final two European qualifying events and his gamble paid off. He tied for fourth at the Czech Masters and then earned his first win at the European Masters. It wasn’t enough to land an automatic spot in the Ryder Cup team but he did convince the already-impressed skipper Donald that he was worth his place.
He is now ranked 90th in the world but there are few, if any, in the sport who do not expect that number to drop and drop. Donald called him a “generational player” and said that he had been incredibly impressed by Aberg after playing with him in Detroit. He singled out his ball-striking and said “When Rory was breaking out I thought ‘this kid is special’ and Ludvig fits in that.” He also explained that he had challenged the Swede to come to Europe for the last two events and Aberg could hardly have done much better than finishing fourth and first.
What Type of Player is Aberg?
Aberg, who broke Sergio Garcia’s record for the quickest move from the amateur game to the Ryder Cup, was described as calm and collected by his Ryder Cup skipper. He certainly fits the Swedish stereotype in that sense and the way he reacted to the pressure of trying to secure his spot on the team bodes incredibly well for the challenges ahead.
He has a superb all-round game but driving has to be seen as a major strength. He stands 6ft 3in tall and hits the ball a long way. His sample size is small but he is currently hitting it a massive 317 yards on average and is reckoned to top the charts for strokes gained off the tee since he turned pro – ahead of Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and, well, everyone! His greens in regulation stats would be in or close to the top 10 and he is a very good putter too.
There are no real weaknesses to his game at all but his biggest strength may well be his fearless nature. He has shown he is a winner and whilst some have questioned his inclusion in the 2023 Ryder Cup team, we think he will shine.