Ludvig Aberg: My new game plan to win The Open after being ‘caught off guard’ on debut
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Ludvig Aberg tells TG what he learned from his Open debut at Royal Troon, why he loves playing to a UK crowd, and why he wants his name etched in the Claret Jug…
“My life has changed a lot – and very fast.” Ludvig Aberg is kicked back in his chair. We’re sat in the Palmer Suite – a fancy, invite-only part of the Open hospitality area that towers over the 18th fairway here at Royal Portrush – as guests of Mercedes-Benz. He has always come across as laid back, but it’s particularly noticeable when you’re in his presence.
To say it’s been a whirlwind two years for Aberg would be an understatement. The Swedish stud turned pro in the middle of 2023 and by the end of the year had won on both sides of the Atlantic and earned a pick for Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team that dismantled the Americans in Rome.
But Aberg’s pinch-me moment was a few months later playing a practice round with Rory McIlroy ahead of his Masters debut last year. “I was walking down number 11 and Rory was ahead of me, and I found myself slowing down a little bit and watching. ‘I can’t believe I’m playing a practice round… here… with this guy!’ I was at school not even a year ago! That will stick with me a long time.”
Seeing golfers let their emotions get the better of them has long been a regular sight in this game. Think Seve Ballesteros, think Sergio Garcia, think Jon Rahm. But Aberg prefers a different route.
“I don’t want results to dictate how I am as a person,” he explains. “How I am as a person should dictate how I play golf.”
It’s remarkably philosophical for someone still only 25 and with more than $20 million in the bank. It’s a trait that he credits to his father, Johan.
“He would tell me that, if we go out to play together, he didn’t care about how I played, he just wanted us to have a good time. That’s stuck with me. It’s an important aspect of how I play golf.
“It’s important to remember that and not take those things for granted, because we are very fortunate to be able to do the things we do.
“I get annoyed. But I never really get angry, or throw clubs or throw tantrums. I just get really quiet.”
One tournament that will certainly test his patience is The Open.
Rounds of 75 and 76, including just four birdies, saw him finish 9-over-par as adverse weather got the better of the majority of the field at Royal Troon last year.
It hasn’t put Aberg off playing links golf. “I enjoy it because it’s a different type of challenge,” he says. “There’s a lot more adaptation and creativity involved. It’s just a cool place to play golf.”
He pauses to remember just how bad the conditions were on the Ayrshire coast and the lessons he’ll bring to Portrush.
“I went into the tournament not thinking that was going to be as big a deal as it was,” he reflects. “It caught me off guard a little bit.
“So this year, I know it is a big deal from my own experience and being OK with whatever gets thrown at you. Having that mindset of acceptance is key.
“I don’t mind it being nasty. If there’s one thing I can learn from last year, it’s having that acceptance. It is what it is. If it starts raining, I’ll get in my rain gear. If the wind gets up, I’ll keep my ball flight a little bit lower. It’s a part of this tournament. I’ll be ready for it.”
It’s now nine years since Henrik Stenson edged out Phil Mickelson in that epic tussle at Troon to become Sweden’s first and, to date, only male major champion. Needless to say, a teenage Aberg – whose other obsession was attempting to emulate his childhood hero, Steven Gerrard, on the soccer field – was hooked.
“I remember that Sunday sitting at home watching it and thinking it was the coolest thing ever,” he recalls. “Henrik is the biggest profile in Swedish golf – and that was the pinnacle. Then, a couple of months later, he almost won the Olympics as well. That was so cool for me, as a 15-year-old, to see that.”
What about Aberg’s own major aspirations? In seven starts to date, he has finished 2nd and 7th – both at the Masters – and 12th on his US Open debut. The other four have seen him fail to make the weekend. Still, he’s learning.
“I definitely feel like I have the capabilities to do it,” he says. “Obviously, you need to put it all together in four days of tournament play. I do feel like the experiences I’ve had – both at majors and non-majors – this past 24 months or so have made me realise I can do it and that I have the tools to do it. “Going into a tournament like this, you want to perform and you want to win. Anyone who is in the field should think that way.”
Aberg is also, somewhat surprisingly, a keen historian of the game. And that makes the Claret Jug particularly desirable.
“I love the history,” he confirms. ”And here you can definitely feel the history of it. You can see how proud the local people are of this tournament.
“That’s a cool thing to be a part of. Looking at an old trophy that has all these names, the big stars of the game back into the ‘70s, ‘60s, ‘50s – it makes me excited to be a part of that.”
There wouldn’t be many more popular winners in these parts.
“The fans in the UK are great,” he smiles. “They treat you like one of their own.
“They’re so knowledgeable and really understand golf.”
It never hurts to have them on your side.
Ludvig Aberg was speaking to TG as an ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, a proud Patron of The Open.
