Ludvig Aberg will hope to enhance his burgeoning reputation as one of golf’s rising stars as the Swede continues his fledgling professional career at this week’s D+D REAL Czech Masters.
The former World Number One amateur made history earlier this year as the first player to secure a PGA TOUR card via collegiate merit, finishing top of the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking.
Since leaving the amateur ranks in June, the Texas Tech University alumni has continued to make waves at the top of the game during his rookie season.
Aberg finished in a tie for 25th on his first start as a professional at the RBC Canadian Open on the PGA TOUR in June and registered his first top ten at last month’s John Deere Classic with a tie for fourth.
He now makes the first of back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour as he looks to further his case for inclusion on Luke Donald’s 12-man European team for next month’s Ryder Cup.
Ludvig Aberg aiming to match his 'high expectations' amid Ryder Cup spotlight
Here, we reveal some things you may or may not know about the talented 23-year-old after catching up with him earlier this summer.
Ludvig’s dad is a keen golfer who introduced him to the game
I grew up in a fairly small town in the south of Sweden – Eslov, in the province of Skane – with my sister, my mum and my dad. My dad plays golf, so he took me out when I was very young. When I was around 13, 14 I started playing and practising more and competing on a higher level. I think that's when I realised that it was something that I wanted to do. I got admitted to the high school I went to and it spiralled from there.
He idolised his home heroes
I was inspired by the big names: Henrik Stenson, Annika Sörenstam and Alex Noren, those players that had a lot of success on two Tours. For me as a young person from Sweden, those are the guys that you idolised and those were the ones that you watched on TV and watched winning big tournaments.
Watching golf from both sides of the Atlantic kept him hungry during cold winter months
I watched a lot of the DP World Tour events from a very young age, and for us it worked out pretty nice. You could watch the DP World Tour events during the day and then at night you would watch the PGA Tour before you fell asleep. I think it kept me motivated and it kept me hungry to play golf, especially in those cold winter months when you couldn't even go outside. So, I think that was a pretty cool thing and I wouldn't want to have it any other way. Right now, it's a little bit different.
He now lives in Texas and is unlikely to get back to his roots in Sweden again until Christmas
I don't really know when the next time is that I'll be home. Hopefully it'll be Christmas at least. But we play a pretty busy schedule and that's the way it is as a professional golfer. So, I'm super fortunate, but anytime you get to come home, it's obviously great.
He is aiming for the very top of the game
In the next three years, I want to be a winner on the PGA TOUR and the DP World Tour. I would love to be top 10 in the world and I would love to play at the Ryder Cup.
Ludvig Aberg - Fact File
- Was Number One in the World Amateur Golf Rankings when he turned professional
- Became the first player to join the PGA TOUR directly from college via PGA TOUR University
- Made his first start as a PGA TOUR member at the RBC Canadian Open, finishing T25
- Finished T4 at the John Deere Classic, his best result as a professional
- Made his Rolex Series debut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January
- Has made the cut in three of his first four DP World Tour starts – the 2018 Nordea Masters (T34), 2021 Scandinavian Mixed Hosted by Henrik & Annika (T30) and Hero Dubai Desert Classic (T70)
- Twice a winner on the Nordic Golf League in 2020
- Was the runner-up at the 2021 European Amateur
- Represented Sweden at the Palmer Cup in 2020 and 2022
- Won the 2022 Ben Hogan Award as the best college player in the United States
