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Aberg has gotten over the professional win hump in just his 6th DP World Tour start at the Omega European Masters. Is he a Ryder Cup lock now?
In just his sixth DP World Tour start, Ludvig Aberg has won his first professional golf tournament. Because of it, he could potentially have a spot on the European Ryder Cup team.
He started the final day with a bogey but quickly got back on track as the Swedish golfer fired off a final round 64 to win the Omega European Masters by two shots.
Aberg beat fellow Swede Alexander Björk, who carded a final round 66 to finish solo second. Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick shot a 69 on Sunday to finish T3 with Connor Syme.
Aberg, a 23-year-old rising star, shot four straight rounds in the 60s, including two 64s, a 67 on Friday and 66 on Saturday.
He followed up a first hole bogey with three birdies on the front at the par-4 5th, par-3 8th and par-5 9th. After four straight pars to start his second back nine, the PGA Tour rookie went low down the stretch.
He made four straight birdies on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th holes. Aberg closed his round with a par on the 18th, but he had finished the job. It was a dominating performance from the Swede as he finally put it all together to get that first victory.
The 23-year-old doesn’t have much professional golf experience, with just 13 professional starts. Six have been in Europe and with seven on the PGA Tour. However, after this week, he could have just secured a captain’s pick for a spot on the European Ryder Cup team.
The former Texas Tech Red Raider finished T4 at the D+D Real Czech Masters, his best DP World Tour finish.
On the PGA Tour, he made 6-of-7 cuts. In five of those events, Ludvig finished inside the top 25, which is downright impressive. That means he finished inside the top 25 71% of the time this season on the PGA Tour.
His best finish was T4 at the John Deere Classic. His one missed cut came at the Genesis Scottish Open.
He came onto the scene after finishing No. 1 on the PGA Tour University rankings, earning him status on the PGA Tour. The rookie won numerous college awards, and now he can check off a professional victory.
Aberg is one of the best Europeans on Tour right now, and this win proves his game is good enough to contend. But will it be enough to earn him a nod from Luke Donald for the Ryder Cup spot?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
