Tomas Setterhill realized pretty quickly that there was something different about Ludvig Åberg.
As a coach and head pro at Eslöv Golf Club in southern Sweden, Setterhill has seen many talented young golfers come and go but one thing caught his eye when he took Åberg under his wing. wing from the age of 9.
“He didn’t put himself down,” Setterhill recalled. “You see a lot of juniors who, if they make a bogey or a double bogey, they get angry. But Ludvig continued to play.
That tenacity stayed with Åberg through high school in Sweden, through college in the United States as he climbed to No. 1 amateur ranking and still has it today, as he won titles in his first few months as a pro and as the biggest in the world. talking about the young player.
Now comes the real test of that attitude: Amidst the tension and high-energy atmosphere of a Ryder Cup, a stage he has reached faster than any player in history.
Look back over the years and golf’s biggest team event can bring out the fire in even the mildest of players. Two years ago, Patrick Cantlay — one of the game’s most emotionless players — cupped his hand over his ear and raised his arms to encourage more noise from the Whistling Straits galleries. as the United States surged to a record victory over Europe.
Heck, David Duval, who once referred to the Ryder Cup as an exhibition, showed how much the event meant by repeatedly shaking his fists and lashing out at US fans in Brookline in 1999.
Will Åberg wake up in Rome next week?
“I think you can see him interacting with fans and teammates,” said Peter Hanson, a two-time Ryder Cup player from Sweden who spent this week with Åberg in Spain on his long-standing role as his teacher. “We’re talking about being comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. It’s something we’ve been working on a lot.
“I’m very impressed with how he handles all these new tasks and environments all the time … He just seems to improve when you light him up.”
In fact, the 23-year-old Åberg seems undaunted at all.
“I would say I’m very good at staying in the moment, staying in the moment and not too high, not too low and not getting too ahead of myself,” he said.
“One of the reasons why I was able to stand out in college in amateur golf was that I was able to keep my emotions in check, and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
Given how the golf world is talking about Åberg — and don’t forget, he’s never played a major — there’s a widespread feeling that he could be a generational player, and a Ryder Cupper Europe will count on for many years. year.
Standing at 6-feet-3 (191cm), his main strength is the distance and accuracy of his drives. His longest drive was 376 yards and he led the PGA Tour for strokes gained off the tee in the seven events he played after turning pro, starting with the Canadian Open in early June.
“From where he hits the golf ball off the tee, I feel like if he’s not half decent with his irons and wedges and putter, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with in the golf world,” Justin said. Rose, who will be with the Ryder Cup next week.
As Rose suggests, the rest of Åberg’s game remains a work in progress, but he’s still built an impressive body of work since joining Texas Tech University four years ago. He was the best college player in the United States for two consecutive years, winning eight times – a record for the Red Raiders – and a landslide leader in the PGA Tour University rankings that ensured him a tour area, when ranked as the No. 1 amateur.
As a professional, he missed just one cut in 10 events and had four top 10s, including a win at the European Masters in Switzerland. European captain Luke Donald made Åberg one of his six captain picks a day after that win in Crans-Montana, where he played alongside the young Swede and was impressed by his maturity and resilience. .
In his only tournament ever, and with the spotlight firmly on him, Åberg led after 54 holes at last week’s BMW PGA Championship, the biggest event on the European tour, after outscoring playing partners Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland. — the world Nos. 2 and 4, respectively — in the first two rounds.
That a tie-for-10th finish feels like a huge disappointment says something about the expectations placed on a player up to 80th in the world.
“I’ve been on the bandwagon before,” McIlroy said last week, “and I’m definitely ahead of it now.”
Considering Åberg’s strength off the tee, he would be a dream partner in the Marco Simone club for McIlroy or anyone on the European team.
“Always play from 325 yards down the middle which is pretty cool,” Hanson said, laughing.
And it won’t be surprising if Åberg plays up to four of a possible five games next week, such is Donald’s opinion of a rookie who no longer feels like one.
“I don’t think ‘fear’ is the right word,” Åberg said, looking ahead to Rome. “I think as a competitor, these are the events you want to be a part of. You want to get that shot. You want to get that putt to get a point or win a match or whatever. it’s… I’m totally up for the challenge.
Whether it’s the Ryder Cup or the many others he can play, Åberg seems to be at the heart of a new generation of European players.
That doesn’t surprise Setterhill, who cherishes his photo of Åberg taken after he hit the ball on the Eslöv course at age 10 or 11.
“I remember looking at it,” Setterhill said with a smile, “and thinking, that’s great … this kid has it.”
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf