Ludvig Aberg ends his debut season campaign with first PGA Tour Win

Ludvig Åberg continued his incredible year after winning the RSM Classic on Sunday with a second consecutive 9-under 61. This was his first PGA Tour triumph in addition to victories on the European Tour and in the Ryder Cup.

And to think that six months ago, the 24-year-old Swede was still a student at Texas Tech.

Beyond Aberg’s wildest expectations. “It’s been six months I’ll never forget.”

He not only won the season’s last event on the PGA Tour, but he accomplished it in record time. With his final birdie, Aberg tied Justin Thomas’s 253 from the 2017 Sony Open for the PGA Tour’s record for 72-hole score. https://x.com/PGATOUR/status/1726389900453319137?s=20

His 61-61 finish broke the mark held by Matt Jones at Kapalua in 2022 and Patrick Rodgers at Sea Island in 2019 by one, setting the tour record for the lowest final 36 holes.

“The sky’s the limit,” exclaimed Mackenzie Hughes, who struggled mightily to match Aberg’s 63 but was unable to keep up. “He possesses everything. Excellent temperament; never gets too high or too low. For the ensuing years, we’ll definitely see a lot of him.”

With three consecutive birdies, including a courageous drive over the marsh on the 407-yard fifth hole to 30 feet, Aberg took command. The hard-luck victim Hughes was then held off by Aberg.

Ludvig Aberg met every challenge, even after making his one and only bogey of the week on the Seaside course at Sea Island on the 12th hole.

On the fifteenth, Hughes hit a clever pitch to tap-in range for a birdie, putting him two strokes ahead. Aberg sprayed it out to four feet for a matched birdie while standing in the heart of a deep bunker with a tight pin.

On the par-3 17th, he nearly sealed the deal with a 25-foot birdie putt, and just to be sure, he added another record to his record with a 20-foot birdie putt at the very end.

“As a child, this is what you dream of,” Aberg remarked. “I have loved and will continue to enjoy this sport for a very long time. I wouldn’t have believed you if you had told me this a few months ago. I had to pinch my arm to get into this posture.”

Hughes was most affected by the shot on the par-4 fifth hole, which veers sharply to the right and around the marsh.

He’s comparable to the player of today. No. 5 is perhaps the best illustration of that, to be honest,” Hughes remarked. He flies it on the green and two-putts for a birdie as I’m playing to the left of that bunker. Thus, very amazing shot to hit that straight and long at the same time.”

After his final year at Texas Tech, Aberg was guaranteed a spot on the PGA Tour for 2024 as the top player based on the PGA Tour University rating.

He has competed in 14 events since June, three of which have been on the European Tour. He has three wins on the PGA Tour and three other top-10 finishes, one of which came against a playoff loss. After winning the European Masters in Switzerland, he almost guaranteed a position on the Ryder Cup team, finishing no worse than a tie for tenth on the European tour.

At Marco Simone, Aberg and Viktor Hovland defeated Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in a foursomes match by a score of 9 and 7, setting a Ryder Cup record for victory margin.

After winning at Sea Island, he now stands at No. 32 in the world. In addition to earning a spot in The Sentry at Kapalua to begin the year, he also earned a spot at the Masters. It also seems like he would be the obvious choice for PGA Tour rookie of the year. Playing in the final group alongside Aberg, the second leading contender, Eric Cole, scored 67 to share third place with Tyler Duncan (65).

“When he was playing as well as he was, it’s going to be hard to catch him,” Cole stated.

Ludvig Aberg broke the tournament record by seven strokes with a final score of 29-under 253, which was set on the par-72 Plantation and par-70 Seaside courses.

Ryan Moore received a sizeable consolation award. He easily finished in the top 125 in the FedEx Cup and retained his full card for 2024 after birdying the 17th and closing with a 65 to tie for sixth. He compared the nerves to what he had when trying to win a golf event in the latter stages.