Ludvig Åberg arguably had greater reason than most to be frustrated with the weather at TPC San Antonio after a bright start to his third round at the Valero Texas Open.
Ludvig Åberg had gone into Saturday four shots behind Robert MacIntyre. However, he had managed to halve that deficit after just six holes of the third round.
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Unfortunately, the weather put paid to his hopes of making up further ground on Saturday. With that, it looks entirely possible that the Valero Texas Open will conclude on Monday.
For Åberg heading into Sunday, it appears to be almost imperative that he manages to get across the line and clinch his third PGA Tour title before he gets to Augusta National for The Masters.
Ludvig Åberg has to be considered one of the genuine contenders to win The Masters
In many ways, Åberg’s first two visits to Augusta National tell the story of his career so far. The Swede has certainly threatened to produce greatness having finished second and seventh.
However, just when he has had an opportunity to kick on and prove why the hopes are so high for Åberg, he has managed to take himself out of contention.
He found the water on 11 when he was threatening to be Scottie Scheffler‘s closest challenger on Sunday in 2024. The double bogey saw him fall from two behind to four back.
He would rally shortly after to ensure that he finished second on his Masters debut.
Åberg was arguably even closer to getting his hands on a Green Jacket last year. He was actually tied for the lead when Rory McIlroy played that shot on the par five 15th hole.
But he would play the final two holes in four over par to fall back into seventh place.
Åberg needs to banish some painful memories from earlier this season before the first major of the year
Of course, Åberg’s most memorable performance of the year so far came at The Players Championship when he began the final round with a three-shot lead.
He would find the water on both 11 and 12 to fall out of the mix and open the door for Cameron Young and Matthew Fitzpatrick to duel it out.
Åberg is not a choker. He produced a superb performance to win the Genesis Invitational last year, while it should never be forgotten that he was the only European to win a full point on Sunday at Bethpage.
However, he has thrown away good chances to win The Masters on both of his previous appearances at the event. He clearly has the potential to get across the line at Augusta National.
With what happened at TPC Sawgrass being so recent, it feels so important that Åberg goes on and secures a victory in Texas just to give him that confidence boost.
Åberg looks to have a great chance to put himself in the mix at The Masters for a third year running. It could be huge if he goes into the week having managed to banish some of those demons from The Players.
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