My brother suggested to me that Ludvig Åberg winning the Omega European Masters, two shots ahead of Alexander Björk, would be a good topic for a blog post. The event in the Swiss alps carries a strong Swedish tradition, with several wins by Swedish players. This past weekend a new generation took over.
The following day, Luke Donald announced his Ryder Cup team and, to few people’s surprise, decided to give one of his captain’s picks to the newly crowned European Masters champion. Having won in only his ninth event as a professional Åberg’s rise to the occasion is sensational. Or is it?
On the PGA tour Åberg made his debut in the Canadian Open in June. This opportunity opened up as he finished his final collegiate year as the number one on the PGA Tour University Ranking. Starting in 2023, this leading player earns full exempt for the incumbent and following season. That the top ranked college player is PGA tour material is nothing new. The automatic qualification is though. No doubt a wise move by the tour.
Looking at Åberg’s college career makes impressive reading. He wasn’t the best player in only his senior year, but the two last years, playing for Texas Tech University. In fact, his fourth and final year he won all the prices there are to win: the Ben Hogan Award, the Jack Nicklaus Award and the Fred Haskins Award. And yes, he was also an All American collegiate golfer, meaning his grade point average was above 3.2 (where 4.0 is maximum).
So, in summary – should we be surprised? No. Should we be impressed? Yes. Immensely. And the simple reality is that Ludvig Åberg follows a long established principle:
Most of the ones that reach world class are at the top of their class at an early age*. However, not all of the ones that are, reach all the way.
Starting in Rome in a couple of weeks, Ludvig Åberg’s future journey will no doubt continue to impress.
*This age is different from sport to sport and will depend on the structure of the sport. Whether it really has to be ”early” is debatable.