Ryder Cup with Swede Aberg
Europe’s golf hopes rest on “generational talent”.
September 27, 2023, 6:36 p.m
It’s a meteoric rise: without having played a single major tournament, Ludvig Aberg is allowed to take part in Team Europe at the Ryder Cup. The prestigious duel against the USA will be a tough test for the Swede.
The pressure on Ludvig Aberg these days in Rome is enormous. Never before has a newcomer to the European team caused so much excitement and optimism in the run-up to a Ryder Cup. The young man from the southern Swedish town of Eslöv is praised as a “generational talent” and future “superstar”. From Friday, the 23-year-old hopeful will be working with stars Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm to restore Europe’s honor against the favored US team on golf’s biggest stage.
Aberg’s meteoric rise began when the world’s number one amateur turned professional in June. The Swede previously honed his golf game at Texas Tech University. He was voted the best college player in the USA twice in a row. Success came quickly on the lucrative PGA Tour. In the first two months, Aberg played in the top 25 four times.
It’s no wonder that Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald picked the 1.91 meter tall model athlete for the Battle of the Continents early on. “If you look at what he did in those four years in college, the only comparisons are Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm,” Donald analyzed. “He’s so good.” Aberg is a “generational talent”. The Englishman was convinced first hand of the rookie’s qualities. At the PGA tournament in Detroit he played alongside Aberg and was “overwhelmed” by his play.
Without a major tournament in the Ryder Cup team
The Ryder Cup captain then asked the young Scandinavian to go to Europe to play a few tournaments. And here too, Aberg immediately impressed. In Prague he came fourth and just a week later he triumphed at the European Masters in Crans-Montana in the Swiss mountains. “He has shown that he has the potential to become one of golf’s superstars,” predicted Donald. “It was like a walk in the park for him.” A day later, he nominated the young golfer, who has yet to play in a major tournament, for the European Ryder Cup team. In the world rankings, the Swede catapulted himself from position 3,064 to 80th within nine months.
Aberg himself feels neither fear nor pressure before the prestigious continental comparison at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club against the twelve best players from the USA. “As a competitor, you want to be in tournaments like this. You want to have that shot, that putt, to get a point or win a match,” Aberg said. “I’m definitely up for this challenge.”
Aberg’s strength is his composure on the pitch. He doesn’t want to let the wild atmosphere of the Ryder Cup bother him either. He also impresses with his powerful and accurate shots. His golf balls often fly far beyond the 350 meter mark. “His hitting power is unbelievable,” enthused Northern Ireland golf star McIlroy, who is delighted to have Aberg on his team.
It will be a huge task for the European selection on the three Ryder Cup days at the gates of the Eternal City to recapture the trophy from the Americans around world number one Scottie Scheffeler. The sting of disappointment is still deep: two years ago, the US team defeated the Europeans around the aging Ryder Cup heroes Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter in the US state of Wisconsin with a record victory of 19:9. points, downright humiliated. The now greatly rejuvenated team around Aberg wants to make up for the disgrace of Whistling Straits and raise the small, golden trophy to the Italian sky on Sunday. The young man from the Swedish countryside is certainly ready to become the heart of Europe’s new golf generation.