Ludvig Åberg smiles during the final round of the 2023 RSM Classic. | Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Ludvig Åberg appeared on a Swedish television network, detailing his feelings on the state of professional golf, with familiar comments.
The sweet-swinging Swede has decided to stay on the PGA Tour.
Ludvig Åberg, who won last month’s RSM Classic in Georgia, turned down a LIV Golf contract multiple times throughout 2023. Åberg revealed this news while speaking with SVT Sport, a Swedish television program.
“When I look back, I am super confident in my decision,” Åberg said.
“I will never try to chase money. What I do is compete. I did the right thing.”
The Ryder Cup star said he received a two-year contract worth $2.5 million from LIV Golf this past February, when he was still an amateur at Texas Tech.
Then, he received another offer this past Fall—much more lucrative than the previous one—and turned that down, too.
Photo by Elianto/Getty Images
Ludvig Åberg hoists the Ryder Cup.
Instead, he will compete on the PGA Tour, a circuit where he is already a budding star.
“When I look at the PGA Tour and the competitions there, there is so much history around all the competitions,” Åberg said.
“And that’s what I like. That’s what I go for.”
The PGA Tour gave Åberg a pathway to professional golf through its PGA Tour University program. For the first time in 2023, the top-ranked player at the collegiate level in the United States earned their playing right on the PGA Tour.
Åberg, who won the Ben Hogan Award for a second consecutive year this past May, finished atop the inaugural rankings and earned a PGA Tour card. The Ben Hogan Award is given to the best men’s golfer in the collegiate ranks.
Interestingly, Jon Rahm is the only other player to win this award twice.
And, like Åberg, Rahm appreciates the PGA Tour’s renowned history.
“I think there’s a lot more to be able to play for besides just money on the PGA Tour,” Rahm said in February 2022 ahead of the Genesis Invitational.
“There’s history, there’s legacy. At the end of the day, I’m in this to win tournaments. I’m in this to play against the best in the world.”
Rahm’s comments from Tiger Woods’ event almost two years ago echo what Åberg said Wednesday.
And yet, Rahm bolted to LIV Golf on Dec. 7.
Reports indicated that the Saudi-backed circuit offered him north of $400 million.
Åberg’s LIV Golf offer came nowhere near that figure, but he also has a solid understanding of the current state of professional golf.
“I want to play against the best because I am a competitive person and like to compete against the best players,” Åberg said.
Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Getty Images
Ludvig Åberg and Viktor Hovland dominated Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in historic fashion on Day Two at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that at the moment. It’s a bit more fragmented… But then you have to respect everyone’s decisions.”
Åberg’s fellow Scandinavian star, Viktor Hovland, also shares these feelings.
“It would be a bit silly to criticize the players for leaving,” Hovland said. “I totally understand why [Rahm] left. That’s a lot, a lot of money.”
Hovland then criticized PGA Tour management, but Åberg did not take it that far when talking about the PGA Tour.
Instead, he revealed his hesitations about LIV Golf.
“There were a number of red flags, which is not good,” Åberg said of LIV Golf. “We realized that I could potentially burn a lot of bridges, and I wasn’t interested in that.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
