Jordan Spieth probably has a better idea than most about what Ludvig Aberg is dealing with right now, with the Swede becoming the PGA Tour player everyone is talking about at the moment.
Ludvig Aberg made a real statement by winning the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines. It was a masterclass from the 25-year-old on Sunday, as he recovered from making two bogeys in his first five holes to make six birdies from then on to beat Maverick McNealy by one.
Aberg has been touted as a potential superstar for some time. Of course, he made his Ryder Cup debut before he had even appeared in a major championship. And he played his part in thrashing Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka by a record margin in Rome.
That major championship bow would come at the 2024 Masters, where he would finish second to Scheffler. An error on 11 on Sunday put paid to his hopes of seriously challenging for the green jacket down the stretch.
Jordan Spieth issues verdict on Ludvig Aberg after being paired together at the Genesis Invitational
In fact, it would have come as a surprise to some to see Aberg not win on the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour in 2024. But that wait for a third professional victory is over after this past week.
Jordan Spieth was paired with Aberg for the first two rounds, and he suggested that he was not at all surprised to see him get the job done, despite the youngster enduring a tough start at Torrey.
“I think he is going to ask to be paired with me all the time. The only two times I have been paired with him are the Masters last year and then this event. He almost won the Masters and then won this one. I must make the game look hard and he gets some confidence out of it and something like that, but I also missed the cut at both. So as much as I do enjoy playing with him, and I do, I might try and stay away from that pairing for a little while as I don’t have the same results,” he said.
“The Thursday was a brutal day to play golf. It was a very tough golf course and it was windy and raining and I thought he shot a couple under in and turned it into a couple over, on just random Torrey Pines stuff. Some pins on nobs where he missed a few putts from shorter range and he caught a couple of holes harder than the rest of them and on those holes I think is where he made his bogeys.
“But for the most part I was like I shot four and he shot two, for the most part I thought he shot two or three under and he posted two over. Typically that means that you are going to come out the next day with a little bit of fire and he did.
“He just didn’t get anything to go in the first day and then started to have a couple fall early in the second round and then he was back to being under par for the tournament.
“I told my wife after the first round he was as impressive I have seen in a long time. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins a lot of events this year going forward. It’s only his third year or second full year.
“Typically I know from my own experience but also watching from a few guys after me, you get that Ryder Cup experience which feels like you are trying to win a golf tournament every round and you play well in that. Then all of a sudden one week things start. Look at what happened to Scottie, it was a similar situation. He hung in there and then early in the year he gets the putts to fall his way, he wins and all of a sudden what was coming inevitably, that was just the time for it to come. It feels a bit that way for him. It’s my job and a lot of other guys feel that way about their own job is to step up and beat these guys while we are still young enough to do so.”
The interesting similarities between Aberg and Spieth
Everyone obviously remembers how Spieth made such a phenomenal start to his career, as he won three major titles before the age of 24. It really did appear that he had everything to become one of the greatest the game has ever seen. He also remains a PGA Championship victory away from completing the career grand slam.
Aberg’s professional career obviously started a little later. But there are some interesting similarities between the two.
Both players missed the cut the first time they played the US Open and the PGA Championship as professionals. Meanwhile, in more positive news, they both marked their Masters debuts by finishing second.
Spieth’s first major win would come on his ninth start at the 2015 Masters, while Aberg only has four major appearances under his belt at this stage. So there is definitely plenty of time for him to keep up with the 31-year-old.
And clearly, Spieth would not be at all shocked to see Aberg following his signature event win with an even bigger victory in the near future.
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