AUGUSTA, Ga. — Ludvig Aberg played Augusta National Golf Club like a veteran this week.
For most, it would be difficult to discern that it was the 24-year-old’s first Masters Tournament (and first major) start.
He came into Sunday looking to be the first rookie to secure a green jacket since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. While he came up ever so short in that regard, a sole runner-up finish could be what jumpstarts the Texas Tech alum’s career.
A three-time All-American and Haskins award recipient, and now a Masters runner-up, the expectations are only going to go up for Aberg from here on out. Much like his performance on the course, he’s ready for more.
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“This being my first major championship, you never really know what it’s going to be like until you’re there and experience it,” he said. “I think this week has given me a lot of experiences and a lot of lessons learned in terms of those things. It makes me really hungry, and it makes me want to do it again and again.”
Aberg shot 73-69-70-69–281 over 72 holes and his only blemish Sunday was a double-bogey on No. 11 after his second shot landed in the water. All he did was play 2 under over the final seven holes to secure the runner-up spot.
Leaderboard watching isn’t just for patrons. Players do it, too. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the television to see of Scottie Scheffler would maintain the lead all the way to his second green jacket.
“I keep an eye on the leaderboard,”Aberg said. “Every time you see a leaderboard, you look at it, and I think it’s important to know what’s at stake and how you’re standing and all these things. Trying to figure out like, you know, what can you do on 15 and all these things, that’s the same for me. I’ve always been that way. It was like that in college, too. You know, it just happens to be Scottie up there a lot.”
Forgetting the bad shots and moving onto the next hole can be a tough thing to learn so early in a career, but Aberg focused on that aspect all week.
“Obviously it wasn’t ideal to hit it in the water on 11, I think we all know that. I mean, I felt like me — me and my team, we’ve focused a lot on just keep playing no matter what happens,” he said. “I think if you just keep playing, skills are going to show up. I think once you stop playing, that’s when you — the skills are not showing up, and I think we did a great job of that. It was a good example of just keep playing, just to make sure to keep the ball in front of you, and there’s a lot of holes left to be played. I think me finishing well after those couple holes were pretty encouraging to see.”
Much of navigating this course is knowing when to be aggressive and when to dial it back. Aberg quickly pointed to his caddie, Joe Skovron, for having that game plan nailed down from the start.
“This place has so many nuances to it, so many subtle things off the greens and off the tee that I trust my caddie, Joe, a lot with, and he’s helped me tremendously this week in terms of those things,” he said. “You know, we felt like we did a great job. It’s a fine balance between being aggressive to the right spots and not being overly aggressive. Because you can put yourself in some really tough, tricky spots. I felt like we did good job all week of making sure that at least you have a chance of getting up-and-down and all these things. I allude a lot to my caddie, Joe, for that.”
With a top-12 finish, Aberg has secured an invitation to the 2025 Masters Tournament.