Even though it has just been one month, Ludvig Aberg claims that it feels much longer.
The 23-year-old Swede completed his final collegiate round at the NCAA D1 Men’s Golf Championships on this day, May 29, exactly one month ago.
A day later, he received the Haskins Award for being the best collegiate golfer for the second consecutive year. That same day, he also received his PGA TOUR card, which was presented to the top player in the PGA TOUR University rankings for the first time.
He made his professional debut at the RBC Canadian Open one week later.
Aberg’s most recent sign of improvement came on Thursday when he shot a 65 in the opening round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He is one behind the two leaders, Peter Kuest and Taylor Moore.
“It has been a test and daunting these past several weeks, but it has also been what I like and what you want to do. I’m attempting to accept it.” stated the Texas Tech Alumni.
Sam Bennett, a 23-year-old who is currently tied with Aberg at 7-under after the first round, feels the same way. The assured Texas A&M graduate is making his fifth straight appearance this week at Detroit Golf Club since turning pro earlier in June at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. He placed fifth in the 2023 PGA TOUR U rankings.
Bennett has most notably shone in the majors, playing in the final group in the third round of the Masters and in the mix after two rounds at the U.S. Open. Each player has succeeded in their limited opportunities.
Aberg has placed in the top-25 in each of his professional debuts.
But the sense of genuine contention on Sunday avoids both. Close enough but none of them has entered the last nine with a lead or the tournament in their hands. They have placed themselves in the best possible position to accomplish this after one round. Now, the goal should be to fully take advantage of the situation.
“It’s great, the experience I’m able to get” Bennett commented after making seven birdies, two bogeys, and an eagle on the seventh par-5 by driving it to within seven feet and holing the putt.
Thirty minutes before Bennett, Aberg shot a virtually identical score with seven birdies, two bogeys, and an eagle at the same hole. The only player to make an eagle at the seventh hole was Aberg, who briefly held a two-shot lead at 9-under until closing his round with back-to-back bogeys on holes 8 and 9.
These two are intertwined in ways that go much beyond simple first-round standings. A young golfer just out of college seems to surprise the professional golf world every year. Early results indicate that Aberg and Bennett will make it two this year.
Then there is Kuest, who almost didn’t make it to the field despite being the leader of the morning wave. The 25-year-old Californian, who has conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour, qualified by winning a playoff on Monday. The strategy has been to attempt to enter as few KFT events as possible while taking a chance at PGA TOUR Mondays.
Kuest, a BYU graduate who played golf in college, remarked, “I may as well go play the big tour.”
Three times this year, he has managed to escape the intense Monday competition. At the Valero Texas Open, he failed to make the cut, and at the RBC Canadian Open, he placed T57. He made just one other start this year, a sponsor exemption at the AT&T Byron Nelson where he ended up at T14.
Kuest, who turned professional in 2020 and is playing just his 10th career PGA TOUR debut, said, “It solidifies that I can play out here.”
Kuest is undoubtedly the least well-known of the three, and his opening round might offer the best opportunity. Regardless of the outcome, both Aberg and Bennett will have status next season with Aberg on the PGA TOUR and Bennett on the Korn Ferry Tour. Aberg and Bennett are trying to validate themselves and their decorated amateur accomplishments. Kuest’s life would change significantly with a victory or a top-five finish, but he’s not quite ready to take that step yet.
“We’re going to prepare for tomorrow’s round and then simply take things slowly after that,” he said.
