Ludvig Åberg playing Augusta like a seasoned veteran

The young Swede says the famous course 'demands discipline' and 'patience'.

Fri, 11 Apr, 2025 - 22:22

Scott Michaux

The patrons were packed thick around a cluster of marquee groupings playing one after another on Friday morning. In the very middle of the lineup were two men who couldn’t be more different in many ways and yet so very much alike in others.

Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Åberg are separated by 10 years on the time line and at least six inches vertically. But on the big stage at Augusta National, the world No. 2 and No. 5 are almost indistinguishable talent-wise, each possessing natural skills that are the absolute envy of their peers.

“I think he’s a future world No. 1, not to put too much pressure on him,” Shane Lowry said a year ago about the young Swede just embarking with a big bang on his professional career. “I think he’s the most impressive golfer I’ve seen since Rory.

“Just off the tee and he’s got a good attitude as well. He’s got a long way to go. We’ll see how he handles everything. Be interesting to see how he does. He definitely is one of our brighter stars coming out of Europe.”

Making his second Masters appearance, you can safely say that Åberg has handled everything pretty well. As a debutante in 2024, Åberg finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler by four shots. Were it not for a rookie mistake when he drew his 5-iron into the pond on 11 and made double, he very well might have become the first since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win on debut.

Now here he is again, playing the Masters like a seasoned veteran to put himself into the top five and in position again to win a green jacket despite a pair of finishing bogeys on Friday that slipped him from tied for sixth to 3-under and five behind Justin Rose’s lead.

What lessons has the newest boy wonder learned in six competitive rounds at Augusta?

“That is a loaded question,” the stoic Åberg said. “I think it demands so much discipline. It demands a lot of patience, which I think we’ve had over the last couple of days. I’d love to be a little bit sharper.

“But I think in general, you can’t really force things around here. Sometimes par is a good score. Sometimes even on the par-5s, sometimes par is a good score.”

These are lessons McIlroy has learned over the years, although players of their caliber find it hard to dial it back when they know that have the skill to pull off a shot.

McIlroy got the better of Åberg on Friday a day after the young Swede handled things better than the veteran Irishman. They’ll part ways on the weekend as they chase for an accomplishment that will define their legacies.

May the better man win.