Ludvig Aberg admits he didn’t begin to think about playing on the Ryder Cup team until late summer.
In May, he was playing college golf and sweeping the postseason awards, winning the Haskins, Hogan and Nicklaus honors. He earned his card via PGA Tour University and instantly made a name for himself on Tour, especially with his prowess off the tee. Earlier this month, he won the European Masters, the feather in his cap to punch his ticket to Italy.
The 23-year-old Swedish sensation was in college less than five months ago. Come Friday, when he tees off in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone in Rome, Italy, he will become the first golfer in history to play in a Ryder Cup before making a start in a major championship.
“For me, all I tried to do was play good golf,” Aberg said. “If someone would have told me a couple months ago that I would be here playing a Ryder Cup, probably wouldn’t believe them. It’s really cool and it’s a dream come true for me to be here, and looking forward to the next couple days.”
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When European captain Luke Donald announced Aberg as one of his six captain’s picks, he mentioned Aberg “has the potential to be one of golf’s superstars.”
He became the first player in Tour history to earn a card via PGA Tour University. He went on to have four top-25 finishes in seven starts, including a T-4 at the John Deere Classic.
Donald played with Aberg at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit and was blown away by his game. The captain challenged the youngster to head across the pond to play more. It earned him a berth on the team.
“It’s really cool the way that these last couple of months has panned out for me,” Aberg said. “It’s been quite intense and you know, I’m trying to embrace it. I try to enjoy it. But it’s really cool to be here, yeah.”
Aberg is one of four making their Ryder Cup debuts for Europe, along with Nicolai Hojgaard, Robert MacIntyre and Sepp Straka.
What’s he expecting on the first tee?
“I wish I never got nervous,” Aberg said. “I think obviously anyone that plays golf, you know, feels the nerves sometimes. So do I, obviously. And I’m going to feel those same things on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this week.
“It’s very much an excitement. It’s very much an anticipation of what’s to come and I try to view it as something good. It doesn’t necessarily need to, you know, affect my behavior in a poor way. It’s more of something that, you know, it shows that I care. So I’m looking forward to having those feelings again.”
