Ryder Cup: Who is Team Europe’s Ludvig Åberg? The Swedish 23-year-old who could star in Rome

Ludvig Åberg. You know him, right?

The 23-year-old Swedish golf sensation? The first player to be involved in a Ryder Cup before playing in one of golf’s major tournaments? Only the second player to make the biennial showdown between Europe and the US in the same year he turned pro?

Yet none of this would have happened if he didn’t like ice cream.

Kind of. Golf skills are of course also involved. But growing up in his hometown of Eslov, it was only the promise of a frozen dairy product or other treat at the end of a round that kept him playing when a reluctant Åberg was first introduced to the sport by his father .

“I think one of the first memories I had was of my father,” Åberg recalled in May this year, a month before turning pro.

“My dad and I would go play golf at my home club, and at first I didn’t really like it, so he would always bribe me and tell me if I stayed another hour I would get ice cream or something.”

It was football that was Åberg’s first sporting love, but the central midfielder’s dreams of playing for Liverpool at Anfield soon gave way to the pursuit of success on the golf course as he made rapid progress with a club in hand.

After completing his education in Sweden, he followed a well-trodden path of European players to play college golf in America. He enrolled at Texas Tech and quickly made a name for himself on the American circuit.

Those four years included Åberg becoming the first player to win consecutive Big 12 conference championships, while completing three national college player of the year honors by being honored with the Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Fred Haskins awards.

By topping the first PGA Tour University rankings, he also earned an exemption on the North American professional circuit in 2024 and Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, who played with Åberg at this year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic this year, has long been impressed by the Swede’s ability.

“We obviously knew what he was doing in the student world,” Donald said after naming Åberg one of his captains for this year’s matches at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

“You look at what he did in those four years and the only comparable players were Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm. He’s that good.

“I really have a lot of confidence in Ludvig. He is a generational player, he will be around for a long time and he will do great things.

“If he didn’t play this one, he’d be playing the next eight Ryder Cups, that’s how good I think he is.”

Donald added about Åberg on Tuesday: “He seems very unaffected. He’s quite quiet, he’s certainly not someone who after three or four months into his professional career will speak out and be such a leader. That’s just not his style .”

“(But) every time he is asked if he wants to perform, he can go one step further, and I am happy to have him in the team. I think he will just let his clubs do the talking this week. “

Åberg has also taken his university form into the professional ranks after relinquishing his amateur status in June and winning his first DP World Tour tournament at the Omega European Masters early this month.

As if that wasn’t enough to make the world sit up and take notice, he made a big impression on his Ryder Cup teammates when they also made a trip to the Rome track ahead of the tournament, joining Hovland to cheer on Tommy Fleetwood defeat. and Rory McIlroy 3&2 in a best-ball match-up.

“(He) probably exceeded (expectations),” McIlroy said. “Everyone talks about what a great driver of the golf ball he is.

“The ball striking is incredible. I was really impressed with his wedge play and how he can kind of control his trajectory with shorter clubs. I was on the bandwagon before, but I’m definitely at the front now.”

How much Åberg figures into Donald’s plans over the course of the three days remains to be seen, but the rookie who seemingly has the golf world at his feet will certainly be the subject of plenty of attention when he’s on the course.

He admits that joining Team Europe to take on the best America has to offer has come sooner than expected, but he still rolls with it and supports his cool temperament that has kept him going until now. has served him well in helping him deal with whatever challenges come his way. the Ryder Cup throws over.

“I feel like the Ryder Cup has always been there and it has always been a motivation for me,” Åberg said. “Growing up in Europe and Sweden, of course you want to be part of these teams at some point in your career, but I didn’t know it would happen so quickly.

“I would say I’m pretty good at staying in the moment, staying in the present and not getting too high, not getting too far down and not getting too far ahead. I think that’s a One of the reasons I stood out in amateur golf in college is because I was able to keep my emotions intact.

“I think the last few months have shown that pretty well as well. I know there’s been a lot of talk and a lot of noise, as I would call it, and I’ve been able to play some pretty good golf over that same period.”

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