Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Ludvig Åberg minimized his mistakes in his U.S. Open debut, which helped him post a solid opening round at Pinehurst No. 2.
Ludvig Åberg made his U.S. Open debut on Thursday at Pinehurst No. 2, and the Swedish phenom did not disappoint. He signed for an impressive 4-under 66 to sit one shot off the leader Patrick Cantlay, who tied Martin Kaymer’s record on this challenging track.
Åberg recorded six birdies and just two bogeys—a fantastic start for a first-timer at Pinehurst, especially when so many guys shot high scores.
“It was a very nice round of golf,” Aberg said.
“Not a lot to complain about.”
The 24-year-old hit 14-of-14 fairways and 16-of-18 greens in regulation. He also gained +2.19 strokes off the tee, +2.57 in strokes gained approach, and +2.03 putting.
“Super happy with the way we hit it,” the reigning RSM Classic winner said.
“Super happy with the execution today. I felt it was nice and very encouraging. All we can try to do is keep it up and make sure that we’re ready to go tomorrow.”
Åberg produced veteran-like numbers, not something one would expect from a guy who just hit his year anniversary on the PGA Tour. However, if the past year showed anything, the 24-year-old Swede is mature beyond his years.
In his first major earlier this year, the former Texas Tech Red Raider waltzed around Augusta National. He finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler, losing by four, but was the only guy close enough to challenge the World No. 1 down the stretch.
No one expected it from him that week, either.
The trick, though, is simple for Åberg.
“Staying very disciplined is important,” he said. “There’s a lot of pins where you don’t think about going for.”
“Joe [Skovron], my caddie, we have a lot of good conversations about certain areas that you try to hit it on. It’s difficult to be very precise with the numbers and those things. Try to get a gauge on where to hit it, where to miss it—make sure we stay disciplined towards things.”
Being disciplined on courses like Pinehurst No. 2 and Augusta National are no easy tasks. But that is where his caddie’s experience has helped the youngster keep himself in check.
“It’s really hard. Especially when you have a wedge in your hand or something like that where normally you would go at the pin, but you can’t do that here,” Åberg said.
“It’s the U.S. Open—it’s supposed to be hard.”
Having started on the back nine, Åberg played his first three holes in 2-under par. He dropped a shot on his fifth hole but birdied his ninth, the 18th, to make the turn in 33 strokes. The Swedish golfer got to 3-under on his 10th hole, the par-4 1st.
A birdie and bogey kept him at 3-under, but he was far from done. Åberg hit an incredible shot off the tee at the par-3 9 to five feet and sank his birdie putt to close out his first round in a monumental way.
The game plan will remain the same, though, and he said he does not have a specific number in mind.
“We’re trying to manage our way around the golf course,” he said.
“Pinehurst is hard as it is. It’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be tricky. All we try to do is hit as many good shots as we can, then see where that adds up.”
Åberg may be the youngest guy in his group, but he will head into the second round on Friday with plenty of momentum. He will tee off at 1:36 p.m. ET with Tony Finau, who shot a 2-under 68, and Dustin Johnson, who struggled and posted a 4-over 74.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
