When Ludvig Aberg sits down to compose his thoughts on a phenomenal Masters debut, he might just be penning the sentences to what could become a bestseller in golf.
The Swede, who was described as an “assassin” on the course given his calculated approach during a record-breaking collegiate career, outperformed everyone bar the best golfer on the planet at Augusta over the past four days.
On a gorgeous Sunday in Georgia, the 24-year-old completed a stirring introduction to major golf when finishing four shots adrift of Scottie Scheffler at 7-under in outright second.
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As others faded from contention, Aberg ascended from adversity. A double-bogey on the 10th might have sunk others but the rookie rallied, just as he rebounded after a 1-over opening round on Thursday to put himself in a position to challenge.
The Swede settled with pars on the 11th and 12th and birdied the 13th and 14th. While Scheffler accelerated again, Aberg was able to finish three shots clear of the rest of the field in second.
There is so much for Aberg, who throughout his collegiate career would jot down his thoughts after a round in a journal accessible to his coaches in America and Scandinavia, to write about.
And it is certain the detail will not just touch on the excellence of Scheffler, whose current run of form is extraordinary, or the wonders of the Augusta National Golf Club and Amen Corner.
Topics could include the nerves he felt on the opening tee, playing the front nine 3-under the card on Sunday to position himself to challenge, having a power bar knocked from his grasp between the 9th and 10th tees and then dumping the ball in the water to start the back nine before recovering to finish off in style.
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“I think there are a lot of things that we did very well this week, especially today, because I came out and was very nervous, obviously. I was shaking a little bit on the first tee,” Aberg said.
“Those are all things that I really enjoy doing. We said that it is a privilege to be able to hit all these shots out here, and it’s a privilege to be in this position.
“Obviously we knew that hitting it in the water on 11 wasn’t ideal, but we also just kept playing. That’s what me and my caddie Joe, and our team, has been trying to work on, (to) just keep playing no matter what happens.
“I think we did that very well today and it just showed that we stuck to what we did and it ended up being pretty OK anyway.”
That is an understatement.
ABERG IS AN ASCENDING STAR
While clearly Aberg would have preferred victory, his second-placed finish confirms what his college coaches and astute golf fans had already noted. Ludvig is a likely, and likeable, star who will feature at the pointy end of major leaderboards for years to come.
The Texas Tech alum, who earned direct entry to the PGA Tour this year courtesy of finishing his at college as the top-ranked college last year, is not just a star of the future. He demonstrated this week he has the characteristics to challenge immediately.
Aberg, who won twice as an amateur on the Swedish tour in 2020 while attending Texas Tech, was introduced to golf by his dad Johan in Eslov and induced to keep playing via a reward of an ice cream if he spent an additional hour at the local course as a kid.
Having turned down a multimillion-dollar offer from LIV Golf in 2022 to continue his award-winning collegiate career in the US, he claimed significant awards at that level named after the legends of the game – Jack Niklaus and Ben Hogan.
Aberg was the No.1 amateur in the world when he turned professional last year. He immediately had an impact, making the cut in the Canadian Open and then finishing in the top 10 in the John Deere Classic in Illinois.
He recorded his first professional win in the European Open in August and was a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup, becoming the first golfer selected for the prestigious teams competition without having played a major tournament.
Similarly to what unfolded at Augusta, his inexperience did not prove a hindrance.
In a foursomes on the Saturday of the event held near Rome, Aberg and Viktor Hovland recorded a record-breaking 9 and 7 win over Scheffler and reigning PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka.
Not surprisingly, teammates including Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were impressed, with both describing the smooth-swinging Swede as a future No.1.
“Everyone talks about what a great driver of the golf ball he is, which he is,” McIlroy said in September.
“The ball-striking is incredible. But I was really impressed with his wedge play and how he can sort of control his trajectory with shorter clubs.
“I was on the bandwagon before (and I’m) certainly at the front of it now. He is having an incredible start to his career. Anyone who watches him play golf can see the potential and kind of talent that he has.”
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THE NEXT JOURNAL ENTRY
Aberg, who started the season the 29th ranked golfer in the world, is now sitting at No.7 and moving upwards with the speed and trajectory of a rocket shooting skywards.
Quizzed as to his reaction to the complimentary remarks of peers including those who played alongside him on the Ryder Cup, he said it provided affirmation.
“It’s very flattering. It’s very nice of them to say those things. They don’t have to say those things,” he said.
“But … It just tells me that we are doing some good things, me and my team, and we’re probably not going to change a whole lot. But obviously hearing those things from Rory and those guys is very, very encouraging.”
Not surprisingly given the assessments of his peers, combined with his genial demeanour and brilliant performance over the past four days, he has been hailed as a star of the future.
Quizzed as to how he would handle an increase in publicity and expectation, Aberg said his focus would remain firmly on finding the fairway in front of him.
“I wouldn’t consider myself the face of golf. Absolutely not. (But) obviously I’m OK with all these things that come with it,” he said.
“Obviously my main focus is to play good golf and all the media things that come with it is not really up to me.
“All I try to do is make sure that for the next tournament, that I come prepared, and I think the experience that I’ve had this week solidifies that we are doing a lot of good stuff and that we are not going to change a whole lot.”
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The Swede, who sits at No.4 on the PGA Tour, will duck up the road to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina for the RBC Heritage event later this week as the top-ranked entrant.
In a month’s time Aberg will front for his second major tournament, the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, and believes he will be even better for his experience at Augusta.
“I think so. This being my first major championship, you never really know what it’s going to be like until you’re there and experiencing it,” he said.
“I think this week has given me a lot of experiences and a lot of lessons learned in terms of those things. It makes me really hungry and it makes me want to do it again and again, I think.”
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