"I wouldn't say surprised"- Ludvig Aberg on gaining quick success on the PGA Tour after college
Ludvig Aberg left an impact on the golf world after making his professional debut in 2023. In his rookie year on the Tour, the Swede was in the headlines right from his first tournament in June. However, he is not surprised by what he did in his debut year.
Aberg is all set to make his Sentry Tournament of Champions debut this week in Hawaii. During a press conference ahead of the tournament, the Ryder Cup star discussed his performance on the PGA Tour in 2023.
Aberg stated that he was aware of his capabilities and was not surprised by the success he enjoyed last year. He admitted that professional gold was very different from college golf, but stated that he had adapted quite well to the demands off the field and this came through on the field.
Ludvig Aberg said on Wednesday, January 3:
"I wouldn't say surprised. I think, at the end of the day, I know my qualities. And I think what I've been impressed by myself is how quickly those have shown up.
"It is different playing in college than playing on the tour. It's the same club, the same ball, all those things but it's a little bit different. And I feel I've been handling all the off-course things quite well. Because I've handled that quite well, my qualities have shown up on the golf course too."
Aberg also discussed the difference between his experience playing in professional and collegiate tournaments. He clarified that while collegiate tournaments also had hectic schedules, they were not comparable to professional competitions because the latter requires extensive travel.
"I feel like the biggest difference for me playing college golf versus professional is just the amount of golf you play. Even though we play quite a busy schedule in college, [it] is nothing [compared] to what we do here where you travel a lot, you play four or five weeks in a row and it's just a lot more golf," said Ludvig Aberg.
Aberg added that he enjoyed practicing as he believes it would benefit him in terms of scores and being healthy. He added:
"I like to do a lot in my practice myself to do a lot of playing and those things. And I think it's very healthy; it helps you the ability to score (and) the ability to play well even though you're not feeling great and those things have made me able to perform even though."
Ludvig Aberg started his professional journey in June 2023 and has won two tournaments, one each on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.
His first victory was at the 2023 Omega European Masters, after which he was selected by European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald for the biennial tournament. He won his maiden PGA Tour event at the 2023 RSM Classic and earned a spot at the 2024 Sentry Tournament of Champions.
When will Ludvig Aberg tee off at the 2024 Sentry Tournament of Champions?
The 2024 Sentry Tournament of Champions will start with its inaugural round on Thursday, January 4, at 12:45 p.m. ET. Ludvig Aberg will tee off with Max Homa and Rickie Fowler for the first two rounds of the tournament. The group will tee off on Thursday at 2:33 p.m. ET.
Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, and Tom Kim will take the first shot of the day at 12:45 p.m. ET, followed by Brian Harman, Eric Cole, and Camilo Villegas. Scottie Scheffler will start his game at 4:39 p.m. ET with Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland.