How the PGA Tour University helped fast track Ludvig Aberg's success

28 Apr 2024
by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Ludvig Aberg Rankings
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Ludvig Aberg (Texas Tech Athletics Photo)

Before Ludvig Aberg was a winner on the PGA Tour, second-place finisher at the Masters Tournament, and a Ryder Cup winner, he was the number one player in the PGA Tour University standings at Texas Tech University and was the first collegiate player to earn status on the PGA Tour through PGA Tour U.

Aberg enjoyed an impressive collegiate career, winning back-to-back Ben Hogan Awards in 2022 and 2023, joining Arizona State University’s Jon Rahm (2015 and 2016) as the only multi-time winner of the award since its inception in 1990.

He also earned eight collegiate wins, including back-to-back Big 12 Conference Championship victories in 2022 and 2023, and won the 2021 Jones Cup Invitational at Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, Georgia.

He represented the International Team at the 2020 and 2022 Arnold Palmer Cups.

Through the PGA Tour U, Aberg was granted status on the PGA Tour and quickly became a winner at the 2023 RSM Classic and became the first player to participate in a Ryder Cup before playing in a major.

Texas Tech head coach Greg Sands has watched the golf world learn what he already knew about Aberg over the last year.

“Just how calm he is under pressure,” Sands said about Aberg. “How he handles the moments. Inside, I know he is excited and nervous like everyone else, but he really handles those things well and focuses on his execution and the things he knows he needs to do to play good golf.”

Sands added, “He has always had a great attitude. When he challenges himself to behave a certain way on the golf course, it has some intentional outcomes. Walking with confidence and things, he really takes that seriously because he feels like that is a big part of the game. It is not just about skills and golf shots, but it is about the emotional skills as well.”

Sands knows how talented Aberg is physically, but since he has been on Tour, he has shown how calm he is under pressure and how he handles the moments

"His game is as impressive as anyone," Sands said. "The guys on Tour see his talent level and are shocked by how good he is. I think the world learned that (in Rome). He drives it long and straight. When you can drive it long and straight and putt well, it sets up for a lot of golf courses. His talent level jumps out on the page. I have had several college coaches say that once they see him, he is amazing and can keep getting better."

Now, collegiate golfers who have the skills to compete on Tour immediately have seen Aberg do it.

“It’s a great incentive,” Sands said. “That’s where the kids want to be and where they are going, and it’s great for them to have the opportunity to do that.”

Sands added about the benefit of PGA Tour U, “Also, they see a guy they played with in Ludvig, and they know their game can stack up at times to his. He puts on his pants one leg at a time like they do, and it’s an encouraging thing for kids to see players come out of college and do well right away.”

As of right now, Michael Thorbjornsen of Stanford leads Christo Lamprecht of Georgia Tech by a small margin in the PGA Tour U standings. Thorbjornsen is ranked No. 2 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings and Lamprecht is ranked No. 5.

Sands knows that even a guy with the talent of Aberg has to go through trials and tribulations.

"He’s not afraid of failure, and he is not afraid of success," Sands said about Aberg.

So, can this success be emulated by other collegiate golfers like Lamprecht and Thorbjornsen?

“Those guys have to believe in their stuff as Ludvig does,” Sands said. “Their talent level is good enough for the Tour, but can you go play for that kind of money and still play good golf, and can you believe in yourself for four rounds? Ludvig has always been good at that.

That’s the biggest thing that people may not understand,” Sands said about Aberg. “They see his physical skills, but his mental skills are elite, and I think that is what has helped him the most.”