Rising star Ludvig Aberg raised the bar on what has already been an incredible start to his professional golfing career by winning his first PGA Tour event just six months after joining the paid ranks.
The 24-year-old, who only turned pro in June, won the RSM Classic at Sea Island in Florida by four shots on Sunday, and in doing so broke the scoring record for the tournament by seven shots after firing back-to-back 61s over the weekend to finish on 29-under-par. His 72-hole total also matched the record for the lowest ever winning total on the PGA Tour, which was set by Justin Thomas in 2017.
“This is what you dream of as a kid,” said Aberg, who also won the European Masters in August, and won two points for Europe as a captain’s pick at last month’s Ryder Cup. “This is the sport I love and am going to love for a long time. If you told me this a couple of months ago that I would be in this position, I would not believe you. I need to pinch myself to believe it’s really happening.”
Aberg was already assured of a PGA Tour card for 2024 as the No.1 player from the PGA Tour University ranking after his senior year at Texas Tech, but in the 14 tournaments he played since June — three of which were on the DP World Tour — he won on the PGA Tour and had five other top 10s, including a play-off loss.
Victory at the RSM Classic moves him to 32nd in the world ranking, which among other things will earn him an invitation to next year’s Masters, which will be his first Major championship appearance.