Fresh off 59, Ludvig Aberg looks to cap dominant spring with championship

Ludvig Aberg had a determination to marque aft his inferior twelvemonth astatine Texas Tech.

He had 2 options: instrumentality to Lubbock for his elder play oregon crook pro and instrumentality his chances without presumption connected immoderate large tour.

For the then-22-year-old Aberg, the prime was easy.

“Lubbock is my 2nd location and I've spent much clip determination than I person immoderate different spot successful the past mates of years,” Aberg told GolfChannel.com. “So obviously, emotion the people, emotion the coaches, emotion my teammates and you cognize anytime that I get backmost there, I consciousness home.”

At the clip Aberg made his decision, helium knew helium would person a accidental to origin successful the PGA Tour U rankings successful his last play nether manager Greg Sands. What helium – and everyone other – didn’t cognize was conscionable however overmuch PGA Tour U would germinate arsenic helium spent different twelvemonth connected campus.

After the 2022 nationalist championship, the apical 5 players successful the PGA Tour U rankings were awarded with Korn Ferry Tour rank done the remainder of the play and were exempt into each open, full-field KFT events, opening the week aft assemblage golf’s play wrapped up astatine Grayhawk. They were besides exempt into the last signifier of that year’s KFT Qualifying Tournament.

Not bad, right?

Still, it near nary contiguous way for the champion subordinate successful assemblage play to caput consecutive to the PGA Tour and didn’t reward the No. 1 subordinate immoderate otherwise than the feline who rounded retired the apical 5.

That changed successful the autumn erstwhile the Tour announced that the No. 1 subordinate successful PGA Tour U would beryllium rewarded with a PGA Tour paper and was further bolstered successful aboriginal May erstwhile the Tour revealed that it is expanding that reward to see an other afloat play of PGA Tour status. So, this year’s No. 1 subordinate pursuing the NCAA title volition gain a Tour paper for the remainder of 2023 and 2024, playing retired of the aforesaid class arsenic the Korn Ferry Tour and DP World Tour points winners portion being taxable to reshuffles.

Because the No. 1 subordinate would support his PGA Tour presumption for the pursuing year, that subordinate would not request to vie successful PGA Tour Q-School astatine the extremity of that archetypal year.

“I deliberation everyone jumped for joyousness erstwhile they saw it,” Aberg said. “I deliberation it's going to beryllium very, precise beneficial for assemblage play successful general. And I deliberation it's conscionable going to marque it better. Because present determination is an inducement to enactment successful school. There is, you know, a wide pathway to the PGA Tour done college, which is incredible. I deliberation they've done a tremendous job.”

Coach Sands, who has watched Aberg modulation from a talented young high-schooler successful Helsingborg, Sweden, to arguably the champion men's assemblage play has to offer, was thrilled for his prima subordinate and raved astir however good his seasoned person has handled the unit of holding that apical spot.

“Well, it's astonishing for assemblage golf,” Sands said. “It's an unbelievable carrot astatine the extremity of the stick, if you will, a reward for 2 large years of playing golf. And really, I'm truthful blessed helium made a determination himself to enactment present and knew that helium would beryllium starring that and conscionable truly played large each twelvemonth handling the sound of the aboriginal and the sound of PGA Tour U and truthful you couldn't inquire for much professionalism. He conscionable handled it amazing.”

To accidental Aberg has handled the unit good would beryllium an understatement. Texas Tech’s person has elevated his play down the agelong of his last collegiate play to a level that has near nary uncertainty arsenic to which subordinate is deserving of an contiguous ascension to the Tour.

In 3 starts starring up to the nationalist title astatine Grayhawk, Aberg hasn’t been beaten.

His tally started successful Hutchinson, Kansas, wherever helium defended his Big 12 Championship astatine Prairie Dunes with a resounding eight-shot victory.

He followed that show with a one-shot triumph successful Odessa, Texas, astatine section U.S. Open qualifying, which preceded NCAA regionals, wherever Aberg deed towering slice aft towering slice astatine Jimmie Austin successful Norman, Oklahoma, to eclipse a brace of Sooners connected their location people and pb his squad backmost to Grayhawk.

Oklahoma manager Ryan Hybl has gotten a adjacent look astatine Aberg the past mates seasons and raved astir the Red Raider’s endowment and mindset connected the play course.

“He hits the shot arsenic bully arsenic anybody. His putter is arsenic bully arsenic anybody. His chipping is arsenic bully arsenic anybody. And helium acts similar a 35-year-old antheral retired there,” Hybl said. “So I would accidental overall, he's benignant of got each the pieces. Almost the Megatron of who you would want, that's benignant of what helium looks like.

“And he's conscionable casual going connected the play course, which I deliberation it makes it amusive to ticker him play, too. Kind of reminds you a small spot of Ernie Els. The crippled conscionable does not look precise hard. I don't cognize however other to picture it, but it's precise impressive.”

Aberg had a 74-point pb implicit North Carolina’s Austin Greaser successful the PGA Tour U standings connected February 1^st. His pb is present much than 260 points heading into the nationalist championship, which is larger than the spread from No. 2 to No. 21.

As if Aberg wasn't playing good capable heading into his last collegiate event, helium changeable a 13-under 59 connected the eve of the nationalist championship.

He's surely making the astir of his past days earlier turning pro. Aberg received the Ben Hogan Award Monday for the 2nd consecutive season, becoming the 2nd subordinate to triumph the grant successful back-to-back seasons. The different guy? Jon Rahm. 

The late-season occurrence has the Swede itching to tee it up 1 last clip astatine Grayhawk.

“I can't wait, to beryllium honest,” Aberg said. “That's what we play for, the championships. I would emotion to get a nationalist championship, some individually and arsenic a team. So hopefully, you know, successful presumption of preparation, precise akin to immoderate tourney that you play. You conscionable effort to support to your crippled plan, and yeah, I can't wait.”

If Aberg tin backmost up his Big 12 and NCAA determination victories with an idiosyncratic nationalist championship, he’ll not lone person a Tour paper done 2024, he’ll besides beryllium exempt into the 2023 U.S. Open and the 2024 Masters, giving him adjacent much opportunities to kickstart his nonrecreational career.

Exemptions into those 2 majors for the NCAA champ were announced earlier this year, and manager Hybl loves the designation apical assemblage players are receiving from the nonrecreational ranks.

“I ever deliberation it's phenomenal erstwhile our guys proceed to get noticed arsenic being the adjacent elite players successful the crippled of golf,” Hybl said. “So I deliberation it's a peculiar infinitesimal for the assemblage game. You know, we've argued implicit the years however galore antithetic opportunities possibly our guys should beryllium getting and it's starting to hap … So it's just, it's precise deserving. These are the adjacent procreation of large golfers.”

As breathtaking arsenic the aboriginal is for Aberg, it means the extremity of a collegiate vocation that has seen him turn from a talented imaginable to a budding star.

It means moving connected from his “second home” and transitioning to the beingness of a professional.

Aberg tried to enactment into words the emotion of “lasts”: his past Big 12 Championship, his past determination and now, his past NCAA championship, each portion finishing retired his grade and preparing for the adjacent signifier successful life.

“It's a small tricky,” Aberg said. “I privation to say, though, that I was a spot overwhelmed, I'm not gonna lie, due to the fact that determination is simply a batch going on. And astatine the aforesaid time, I privation to get my schoolhouse beauteous bully arsenic well. I wanted to get a degree. That's 1 of the reasons wherefore I came to assemblage due to the fact that I wanted to get my acquisition done. So determination is simply a batch to balance.

"Hopefully I'll beryllium capable to travel backmost and hopefully they'll invited maine backmost arsenic good successful the adjacent fewer years. And you know, Coach Sands has helped me, he's fixed maine truthful galore opportunities to beryllium capable to beryllium successful the presumption I americium and I'm beyond thankful for that. Hopefully we'll triumph a nationalist title to decorativeness my vocation arsenic well.”

National title oregon not, it’s harmless to accidental Aberg volition beryllium invited successful Lubbock immoderate time.