The era of professional golf’s smooth learning curve is over. As seen by the recent emergences of Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovlands, and Collin Morikawa, young players arrive on the scene prepared to have an immediate effect.
Spend a few minutes practicing on a TOUR range and get ready for a big dose of bravery. Ludvig Aberg ought to blend in well.
The slick-swinging Swede, who placed top on the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking, became the first player to gain straight entry to the PGA TOUR through collegiate performance.
Just two weeks after finishing his collegiate career at the NCAA Championship, the Texas Tech alum now showcases his abilities on a large scale. Aberg will play in his first PGA TOUR event as a full-fledged pro at this week’s RBC Canadian Open.
“It’s very enjoyable. There are undoubtedly many talented players present. But I’m really excited about it, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to play some decent golf as well.” Aberg said while speaking at the RBC Canadian Open on Wednesday.
Aberg receives an automatic TOUR membership that will last at least through 2024 as the player with the highest ranking on the PGA TOUR University Ranking.
He finished his amateur career atop the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and he most recently won the Jack Nicklaus Award and the Ben Hogan Award for collegiate player of the year. Aside from the opinions shared by those who know him well, his amateur resume offers little room for debate about his merits.
Aberg has the talent to support his desire for the big moment. He appreciates the opportunity to pit his skills against the top players in the game, an opportunity that has now become commonplace. Alongside Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton, Aberg’s TOUR career gets underway at Oakdale Golf & Country Club at 7:44 a.m. on Thursday.
Aberg is the first of what will eventually be a yearly occurrence in which the top male college golfer receives automatic status on the PGA TOUR.
Aberg finished first in the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking following two outstanding seasons at Texas Tech. Despite being vulnerable to reshuffles in 2024, the Eslov, Sweden native’s achievement earned him PGA TOUR membership for the rest of the 2023 season as well as the next year.
The top finisher received automatic PGA TOUR credentials for the first time this season. PGA TOUR University’s first two classes’ top alumni previously received Korn Ferry Tour status.
Changes to the PGA TOUR Ranking system came just in time for Aberg, 23, even though two classes of PGA TOUR University graduates came before him.
The top performers in the first two PGA TOUR University classes previously received a membership on the Korn Ferry Tour. The winner of the competition receives a PGA TOUR membership for the first time this season.
“The PGA TOUR U crew did a fantastic job of integrating us and providing us with advantages and chances. It’s just lucky for me that I’m the first man to use it. But I believe things will improve. I believe more guys will be able to benefit from it. I believe it will improve collegiate golf.” Aberg said.
Aberg eliminated the tension of the situation because the final few weeks of the season rarely resembled a race. When Aberg arrived at the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club, his position atop the standings was untouchable. His PGA TOUR career is now officially underway.
“He definitely raised the bar for this team to a level I had never imagined. He is a talent that transcends generations,” said Texas Tech coach Greg Sands.
Aberg made some history during his final round at Texas Tech and went on to win all of the major collegiate golf honors. The Jack Nicklaus Award and the Fred Haskins Award were both won by Aberg. He also won the Ben Hogan Award for the second year in a row, making history by becoming just the second golfer to do so. The first was Jon Rahm.
He became just the sixth golfer in history to win all three awards in a single season after winning the Hogan Award (Aberg earned the award on a Monday and then shot a 59 two days later).
Aberg finished his collegiate career atop the PGA TOUR University rankings and occupied first place among amateur golfers worldwide.
Aberg competed in the 2020 and 2022 Arnold Palmer Cups on behalf of the International squad. While attending Texas Tech, he won it an unprecedented eight times, making history by becoming the first golfer to win back-to-back Big 12 Conference Championship victories in 2022 and 2023. He won this year by an amazing eight shots, and in his nine starts during his final season, he had nine top-10 results.
Aberg made waves on the professional circuit in his native Sweden while still a novice, winning two championships on the Swedish Golf Tour in 2020.
He has competed in five PGA TOUR events, twice of which were in 2023. He qualified for both the Valspar Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, where he finished tied for 24th.
At the 2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship, when he made the cut and ultimately tied for 51st, he made his TOUR debut. Both the Valero Texas Open and The RSM Classic in 2021 and 2022 saw Aberg miss the cut. Aberg has also competed on the DP World Tour three times, each time making the cut. His best finish was a tie for 34th at the Nordea Masters in 2018 when he made his DP World Tour debut.
After shooting a 7-under 65 in the opening round, he received a special exemption into the 2023 Hero Dubai Classic and shared the lead.
Aberg is a golfer designed in the modern style who is over 6 feet tall and has a physique that betrays his love of football from his youth. Strong with the ball, he uses it with impunity to gain the upper hand on his rivals.
“He is capable of taking over a golf course.” Sands made this statement while using Aberg’s victory in the Big 12 Championship at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas, from the previous year as an example. Aberg completed all 18 holes with a putt for a birdie after making 16 greens and two fringe shots on his approach shots.
Aberg placed in the top 30 in terms of driving distance (308.3 yards) and strokes gained: approach the green (.506) in eight rounds that were recorded on the TOUR this season. Another example is his triumph at the 19th Jones Cup Invitational in the previous season. The Jones Cup, which is contested on a penal layout in the dead of winter on Georgia’s southeastern coast, maybe the only amateur competition that is better at predicting professional success.
The PGA TOUR has taken in more than half of the winners, including multiple major champions. This excludes Jordan Spieth, who in 2011 lost in a playoff to John Peterson (who finished T4 at the U.S. Open the following year).
“He has always reminded me of Adam Scott,” Sands said of Aberg.
The Texas Tech coach of Aberg, Sands, has a favorite anecdote that he enjoys sharing. It demonstrates Aberg’s composure under pressure. It happened last year on the last holes of collegiate competition in Cabo when Sands told Aberg he would have to make a mandatory putt on the last hole.
“That sharpening of attention was evident. He was aware of what had to be done.” Sand said.
He actually did this. Aberg reportedly went to his coach after completing the putt and stated, “I love this game.”
“The incident demonstrated Aberg’s capacity for composure and emotional restraint under pressure. He cherished the chance it offered as well as the accomplishment. That, in my opinion, illustrates his capacity to essentially want the ball at the game’s conclusion. He desires to putt. He seeks the massive shots.” Sands said.
Aberg completed his high school education in Sweden and majored in finance. To evaluate his success, he keeps track of his Strokes Gained statistics and maintains a notebook, writing comments in both Swedish and English that he shares with his coaches in both countries. Techniques are included in the entries.
The entries include everything from skills to feelings.
“I had a relatively neutral swing the entire week.” He wrote this following his Big 12 Championship victory.
“Playing in front of grandstands and large crowds for the first time. It increased my anxiety, but I recalled that (Swedish national team coach Jonnie Erikson) had emphasized that anxiety is only an emotion and won’t affect your behavior unless you let it.” He discussed the 2018 Nordea Masters, a DP World Tour competition where, at the age of 18, he made the cut.
He doesn’t have a Twitter account and uses Instagram sparingly since he knows there are more useful things to do with his time. Aberg usually responds to texts from Sands regarding non-urgent issues only after a few hours.
The International Team captain in the Palmer Cup last year, Cal Poly men’s golf coach Phil Rowe, described Aberg as a completely at ease yet forceful presence that pervaded the team.
“He was a listener and curious, but an assassin on the course who elevated the games of those around him,” remarked Rowe, who represented Great Britain & Ireland in the 1999 Walker Cup and competed in the 2000 Open Championship.
