Ludvig Åberg
Ludvig Åberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 31, 1999 Eslöv, Sweden |
| Occupation | Professional golfer |
| Known for | Top position in World Amateur Golf Ranking; victories on European and PGA Tours; participation in 2023 and 2025 Ryder Cups |
Ludvig Noa Åberg (; born 31 October 1999) is a Swedish professional golfer active on both the PGA Tour and European Tour.
Turning pro in June 2023, Åberg had previously held the top position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for a total of 29 weeks. He finished first in the 2022–23 PGA Tour University standings, which granted him membership on the PGA Tour. Within just five months of turning professional, Åberg secured victories on both the European and PGA Tours and played a key role in Europe's triumphs at the 2023 and 2025 Ryder Cup events.
Early life
Born on 31 October 1999 in Eslöv, Sweden, Åberg is the son of Mia and Johan and has an older sister named Linnea. His introduction to golf came at age eight when his father, an avid golfer, took him to Eslöv Golf Club. Although initially hesitant, his father motivated him to stay longer by promising ice cream if he remained an extra hour on the course.
Åberg also engaged in football during his early years but shifted his focus entirely to golf at age thirteen. At fifteen, he enrolled at Filbornaskolan, a sports-focused high school in Helsingborg, where he was classmates with future Solheim Cup competitors Maja Stark and Linn Grant.
2016–2020
In 2016, Åberg was honored with the Annika Sörenstam Trophy after topping the Swedish Teen Tour Order of Merit. He led individually at the 2017 European Boys' Team Championship and secured victory at the 2017 Fairhaven Trophy. Åberg finished third at the 2018 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup and made his debut on the European Tour during the 2018 Nordea Masters, where he tied for 34th place.
The following year, he was runner-up at the African Amateur Stroke Play Championship and contributed to Sweden’s winning effort at the European Amateur Team Championship. In late 2019, Åberg began attending Texas Tech University on an athletic scholarship, joining their golf team known as the Red Raiders. He concluded that year by winning the Sun Bowl Marathon All-America Golf Classic.
Due to the interruption of the 2020 collegiate season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Åberg returned to Sweden to compete on the Swedish Golf Tour. He claimed his first professional title at the Katrineholm Open in July, followed by another win at the Barsebäck Resort Masters, finishing five strokes clear of his rivals. In December, representing the International Team at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Cup, he remained undefeated (4–0), helping secure a decisive team victory.
2021–2023
In February 2021, Åberg won the Jones Cup Invitational and shared championship honors at The Prestige later that month, as well as at the Thunderbird Collegiate in April. He placed second at the European Amateur in June and received a gold medal from the European Golf Association in September for being Europe’s highest-ranked amateur golfer, a position he had held since March. Åberg made his first appearance on the PGA Tour in October at the Bermuda Championship, where he successfully made the cut and finished tied for 51st.
In early 2022, Åberg declined a two-year contract offer from the newly established LIV Golf League, choosing instead to continue his collegiate career at Texas Tech University. He repeated as champion of The Prestige in February and won the individual title at the Big 12 Men's Golf Championship in April. That May, he was awarded the prestigious Ben Hogan Award as America’s top collegiate golfer. Representing Sweden at the 2022 Eisenhower Trophy, he tied for seventh individually and ascended to number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking by September.
As leader of the PGA Tour University rankings, Åberg earned an invitation to compete in January 2023’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour, where he shared first place after round one. He captured The Prestige title for a third consecutive year in February and finished tied for 24th at March’s Arnold Palmer Invitational via sponsor exemption. In April, Åberg set a new scoring record while defending his individual title at the Big 12 Men's Golf Championship—the first player ever to do so—and secured a second Ben Hogan Award in May. By topping the 2022–23 PGA Tour University rankings, he obtained exempt status on the PGA Tour through 2024, marking this exemption’s inaugural year. Turning professional in June 2023, Åberg concluded his amateur tenure ranked number one worldwide.
2023
Åberg made his professional debut in June 2023 at the RBC Canadian Open on the PGA Tour, where he successfully made the cut and concluded the tournament tied for 25th place. In July, he achieved his first top-10 finish at the John Deere Classic, carding a final-round 63 and finishing tied for fourth, three shots behind champion Sepp Straka.
Towards the end of August, Åberg participated in events on the DP World Tour. At the D+D Real Czech Masters, he secured a tie for fourth position following a closing round of 66. The subsequent week at the Omega European Masters, he claimed his inaugural professional victory by birdying four of the final five holes during a final round 64, finishing two strokes clear of fellow Swede Alexander Björk. Two weeks afterward, Åberg led after 54 holes at the BMW PGA Championship but ultimately ended tied for 10th after shooting a final-round 76.
After his triumph at the European Masters, on 4 September 2023, European captain Luke Donald selected Åberg as one of six captain’s picks for Team Europe in the 2023 Ryder Cup. He became the first player ever chosen for the Ryder Cup without prior participation in a major championship and only the second rookie professional, following Sergio García, to earn a spot on the team. During the Ryder Cup, Åberg recorded a match record as Europe secured a 16–11 victory. A standout moment came in Saturday foursomes when Åberg and Viktor Hovland defeated world number one Scottie Scheffler and reigning PGA Champion Brooks Koepka by an unprecedented margin of 9 and 7 over 18 holes.
The week following the Ryder Cup, Åberg finished as joint runner-up at the Sanderson Farms Championship, narrowly missing out to Luke List in a five-player playoff. In November, he earned his first PGA Tour title at the RSM Classic, delivering back-to-back rounds of 61 over the weekend to finish at 29-under-par, four strokes ahead of Mackenzie Hughes. His total score of 253 matched the PGA Tour’s existing 72-hole scoring record held by Justin Thomas. This victory elevated Åberg into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking and earned him an invitation to compete in his first major championship at the 2024 Masters Tournament.
2024
At the onset of the 2024 season, Åberg made a change in his caddie team, replacing Jack Clarke with Joe Skovron, who previously worked with Rickie Fowler. In February, during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he stood alone in second place after 54 holes, trailing Wyndham Clark by a single stroke. Due to inclement weather, the event was canceled and Clark was declared the champion. This outcome elevated Åberg to 11th position on the Official World Golf Ranking.
Åberg made his first appearance in a major championship at the 2024 Masters Tournament in April, where he secured solo second place behind world number one Scottie Scheffler. Two weeks later, he achieved a career-high ranking of sixth on the Official World Golf Ranking, a remarkable rise from being outside the top 3000 at the beginning of 2023. At the 2024 PGA Championship in May, he experienced his first missed cut of the season. During the 2024 U.S. Open in June, Åberg led after two rounds but fell out of contention after recording a triple-bogey in the third round, ultimately finishing tied for 12th place.
In July, at the Genesis Scottish Open, Åberg entered the final round with a two-stroke lead but concluded tied for fourth following a three-over-par 73. The subsequent week marked his first participation at The Open Championship, where he failed to make the cut with rounds of 75 and 76. August saw Åberg claim his third runner-up finish of the year at the BMW Championship, finishing just one stroke behind Keegan Bradley.
On 1 September, after placing 16th at the Tour Championship, Åberg announced he would undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee—an injury he sustained in May that had caused persistent discomfort throughout the season.
2025
In February, Åberg captured his second PGA Tour victory at the Genesis Invitational, securing a one-stroke win over Maverick McNealy by birdying the final hole and closing with a 66 in the final round. Notably, during the third round, he recorded his first professional hole-in-one. This triumph awarded him $4 million and propelled him to the top of the PGA Tour money list. At the 2025 Masters Tournament, Åberg briefly shared the lead at 10-under par with two holes remaining but faltered with four-over-par on those final holes, dropping out of contention.
Åberg represented Europe in the 2025 Ryder Cup held at Bethpage, where Europe triumphed over the United States 15–13. He was the sole European to win his singles match on the last day, defeating Patrick Cantlay. This victory marked Europe’s fifth Ryder Cup win on American soil and their first since 2012.
Awards and honors
- In November 2021, Åberg was granted honorary membership at Eslöv Golf Club.
- He earned the Ben Hogan Award as the top collegiate golfer in the United States for both 2022 and 2023.
- Åberg also received both the Haskins Award and Jack Nicklaus Award for his performance during the 2023 season.
- Based on his world ranking accomplishments, he was awarded Elit Sign number 152 by the Swedish Golf Federation in 2023.
- Åberg was honored as Swedish Golfer of the Year—across male and female professionals and amateurs alike—for consecutive years in 2023 and 2024.
- In 2024, he was bestowed honorary membership by the PGA of Sweden.
Personal life
Upon turning professional, Åberg initially shared accommodation by renting a portion of fellow Swedish PGA Tour player Vincent Norrman's residence in Tallahassee, Florida. By November 2024, he relocated to a home in Ponte Vedra, Florida, where he lives with his partner Olivia Peet, originally from Manchester, England, and formerly a tennis athlete at Texas Tech University.
Amateur wins
- 2016 Galvin Green Junior Open, Skandia Junior Open
- 2017 Fairhaven Trophy
- 2019 Sun Bowl All-America Classic
- 2021 Jones Cup Invitational, The Prestige, Thunderbird Collegiate
- 2022 The Prestige, Big 12 Men's Championship
- 2023 The Prestige, Valspar Collegiate, Big 12 Men's Championship, NCAA Norman Regional
Source:
PGA Tour victories (2)
| Legend |
|---|
| Signature events (1) |
| Other PGA Tour wins (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Nov 2023 | RSM Classic | −29 (67-64-61-61=253) | 4 strokes | Canada Mackenzie Hughes |
| 2 | 16 Feb 2025 | Genesis Invitational | −12 (74-66-70-66=276) | 1 stroke | United States Maverick McNealy |
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PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | Sanderson Farms Championship | United States Ben Griffin, United States Luke List, Template:Country data SWETemplate:Namespace detect showall Henrik Norlander, United States Scott Stallings |
List secured victory with birdie on first playoff hole |
European Tour victories (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Sep 2023 | Omega European Masters | −19 (64-67-66-64=261) | 2 strokes | Template:Country data SWETemplate:Namespace detect showall Alexander Björk |
Swedish Golf Tour victories (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Jul 2020 | Katrineholm Open (as an amateur) |
−10 (67-70-69=206) | Playoff win | Template:Country data SWETemplate:Namespace detect showall Mikael Lindberg |
| 2 | 16 Jul 2020 | Barsebäck Resort Masters (as an amateur) |
−15 (69-67-68=204) | 5 strokes ahead | Template:Country data SWETemplate:Namespace detect showall Mikael Lindberg |
Major championship results
| Tournament | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 2nd place | 7th place |
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | "T12" | "CUT" |
| The Open Championship | "CUT" | "T23" |
CUT = missed halfway cut
"T" = tied position
Summary
| Tournament | Victories | Runner-up | Third place | Top-5 finishes | Top-10 finishes | Top-25 finishes | Appearances | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Totals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 4 |
- Highest number of consecutive cuts made – one (achieved four times, currently active)
- Longest sequence of top-10 placements – one (achieved twice)
Performance in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | 8 | CUT |
CUT = failed to advance past the halfway cut
Team Participation
Amateur
- European Boys' Team Championship representing Sweden: 2017
- European Amateur Team Championship for Sweden: 2018, 2019 (champions), 2021
- Junior Golf World Cup competing for Sweden: 2018
- Arnold Palmer Cup on the International Team: 2020 (winners), 2022 (winners)
- Eisenhower Trophy representing Sweden: 2022
Professional
| 2023 | Total |
|---|---|
| 2 | 3 |