Since turning professional in June last year, the Swede has hit the headlines for all the right reasons, starting with a first professional win in just his second DP World Tour event at the 2023 Omega European Masters.
Before that triumph in Switzerland, talk had been rife about Åberg teaming up with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm in Rome for the Ryder Cup, with that victory all but securing his spot at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
He would indeed be one of Luke Donald’s six Captain’s Picks, eclipsing the record for the quickest transition from the amateur game to the Ryder Cup that Sergio Garcia had set in 1999.
The then 23-year-old delivered two points on his debut, including a resounding 9&7 triumph alongside Viktor Hovland in the Saturday foursomes against Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, before securing a first PGA Tour title a month later at the RSM Classic.
All of this and he hadn’t even made a Major Championship start, but that would soon change at last month’s Masters Tournament, where his unquestionable star power was on display once again after finishing runner-up behind World No.1 Scheffler at Augusta National.
Here, Åberg gives us the lowdown on that remarkable Major Championship debut, how the golfing world can close the gap on Scheffler and whether his first Ryder Cup or his first Major was more nerve-wracking…
Worldwide Golf: How do you sum up your first Major start at the Masters Tournament?
Ludvig Åberg: First of all, playing at Augusta National is a dream come true. Just to be in that situation and feel the nerves and feel the pressure walking down the last couple holes is what you dream of. This is what I have been wanting to do for such a long time, and it’s quite surreal to actually have the opportunity to experience it. But I’m so proud of myself and all of the people on my team and my family and everyone involved.
WWG: Ever since you turned professional it feels like your world kind of accelerated, contending week-to-week, winning in Switzerland, winning in Sea Island, the Ryder Cup. How are you able to manage the day-to-day exhaustion and get through that?
LÅ: I definitely think my life on the golf course has changed a lot over the last couple of months, but my life hasn’t changed a ton off the golf course, which I think is really important. My personality is the same. I don’t try to do anything different from what I did last year. I think it’s very important for me to stay doing that, doing those things. But obviously it’s really cool to now be able to play these tournaments and being in the situation that I am. It’s very cool.
WWG: Did you have a debrief after the Masters Tournament with your coach (Hans Larsson) and mentor (Peter Hanson)?
LÅ: Yeah, we had some conversations of reflection after the tournament. Overall, I think we all really enjoyed the week together. It was cool to have everyone there and to spend the week together. Obviously, Augusta is a special place. But we felt like we did a lot of good things, and frankly very proud of the way that we handled all those things. You don’t really know what it’s going to be like to play your first Major until you really play it, and all those things, I felt like we handled that really well, and it makes us really excited about the next one.
WWG: How did the nerves compare to a regular PGA Tour event, a Major, versus how you felt at the Ryder Cup?
LÅ: Obviously I was super, super nervous. I think I was nervous the whole week, even when I was about to tee off in the practice rounds. I think those are always going to be there, which is okay. It’s all part of being a human, I think, to feel those nerves. But yes, it was a little bit more than a normal PGA Tour event because you know the magnitude of the tournament, everything that comes with it. Then I’d say it’s a little bit different from the Ryder Cup because the Ryder Cup is a little bit of a different dynamic, as well, where you represent so much more than just yourself. You’re representing your teammates and your captains and the continent and your country whereas here it’s just me and my team. It was a little bit of a different dynamic, but obviously super nervous anytime I tee it up in a tournament.
WWG: Coming off the 11th green at Augusta National, I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but you were smiling. Did you realise you were smiling, and why would you smile after making that costly error?
LÅ: I didn’t know it at the time that I was smiling. Obviously it wasn’t ideal to dump it in the water. I think we all know that. But at the end of the day, me and Joe and my caddie, my team, we’ve talked a lot about just keep playing, just make sure that the next shot is your best one. That’s all you can do. That’s all you can try to focus on. Obviously looking back, that was probably where I lost the tournament a little bit, but I didn’t know it at the time. All I tried to do is just keep pushing forward. You never what’s going to happen, especially on a course like Augusta where so many things can happen. I felt very fortunate to still be playing a Major Championship Sunday back nine in contention – it’s what I’ve dreamt of for my whole career. Even though I made a dumb mistake on 11, I was still in the hunt, and I still felt very fortunate to be in that situation.
WWG: Do you feel like you learned anything about how to attack a Major Championship golf course. Guys will say they’ve learned different things. Maybe they don’t have to be perfect, certain things about when they play in Majors. Now going through your first one, did you feel like you learned something?
LÅ: Yeah, I think so. You can’t really force it around Augusta National. I don’t know how it is for other Major Championships because I’ve never been in one, but I know I can speak for the Masters, where it’s very difficult to try to force things. It’s very difficult to try to make up for mistakes. Most times you just take your medicine and be okay with that. That’s one of the things that I felt like we did very well. We kept the discipline because the golf course is so smart and it’s so good where it tries to put you in corners where you don’t really want to be in and it tries to make decisions that might not be the best. But I felt like that was one of the things we did very well is just tried to stay disciplined, stay on the right side of the pins and keep giving ourselves chances.
WWG: Is there a gap right now between Scottie and everybody else and if so, how do you think that you close it?
LÅ: Seems like it! I’ve just got to keep being me, keep making sure the things that I’m working on, they’re good, and I think as a golfer, it’s always going to be an endless challenge of trying to get a little bit better, whether it’s your putting or chipping or short game or hitting balls or whatever it is. I think I’m always trying to make sure that the things that I’m working on are going in the right direction. Obviously, I can’t do anything about Scottie. He’s an unbelievable player and a person, and I respect him so much. I think it’s good to have him here because he’s pushing everyone else to get a little bit better, as well.
