Ludvig Aberg strolls around Valhalla knowing that everyone is watching him and wondering: will he be able to? Will he maintain the level for another week?, will he add another feat to the backpack?. At some point he will falter, it’s pure and hard math, but will it be at the PGA? or on the contrary, will he continue to delight both his own and strangers?
As José Mota would say: “and if yes, and if yes”. It is the and if yes that makes us smile imagining him lifting the Wanamaker trophy this very week. The task is arduous, complex and full of fifteen thousand obstacles, but and if yes, gentlemen, and if yes.
The Swede has a fascinating aura that dazzles wherever he goes. A Nordic introverted character, but at the same time smiling and with a face of enjoying what he does like a dwarf. He doesn’t need fuss to connect with the general public, his presence exerts a kind of magnet that attracts you without knowing very well why. Of course, if you add to all this an excellent and aggressive game, the cocktail is served ready to be enjoyed.
Ludvig is talked about as if he were a veteran, he attends the media in a press conference as one more favourite and is once again on everyone’s lips. He has been a professional for ten months, ten. He is going to play the second Major of his career.
Perhaps, after the news of his retirement last week, expectations have been lowered a bit. Today, the Swede has passed through the microphones of the press room, and to continue the conversation about his chances in the tournament, the first thing was to clarify his physical condition.
Last week he announced his retirement from the Wells Fargo and although his statement held that it was out of precaution, the reality is that all alarms went off. Ludvig wanted to reassure the media by making it clear that he is in good shape: “The knee is fine. I didn’t play last week out of precaution. I am in contact with my doctors, but the reality is that it doesn’t bother me at all this week. I’m looking forward to playing”. He acknowledged that he is training with a knee brace, but that he feels no pain.
The reality is that Aberg is training this week to play the first PGA Championship of his career and his second Major overall after making a brilliant debut at Augusta National last month. He has been a professional for less than a year and already knows what it is like to win on the PGA Tour and on the DP World Tour. He is also already a Ryder winner and holds the most overwhelming victory in the history of the competition’s foursomes together with Hovland. 9&7 to such Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, by the way two of his great rivals this week. To that curriculum add a second place at Augusta National. What ten holes he offered us at the start of the final round of the Masters. Only a ball in the water prevented a beautiful face to face with Scottie Scheffler. Since 1979 no one wins on their debut at Magnolia Lane and for a while it seemed a real possibility. To this must be added that, as mentioned before, it was his debut in a Major. What a spectacular way to lose virginity. We are talking about the sixth best player in the world ranking.
He arrives with ambition and with the intention of emulating Keegan Bradley who won the Wanamaker trophy back in 2011 on his debut. The playing conditions and the course suit him well. It’s not something we say, it’s what Aberg himself says: “I like to think that in these wet conditions I can hit it high and long. That way I eliminate many obstacles, or so I hope. It’s quite nice because the zoysia grass of the fairways allows you to launch the ball quite high with the irons because the grass is very high. You can hit it a little more”. Where many see obstacles, he sees an opportunity for his aggressive and powerful game to impose on the rest of the players.
In the meantime, with victories or without them, he dedicates himself to enjoying the experiences: “I feel all those things you feel the first time you do something. This is what I’ve wanted to do since I was little and I love doing it. I don’t see golf necessarily as my job, it’s something I have the privilege of being able to do, and I try to see it that way. I try to hit different shots and make sure I don’t lose the joy of playing golf. I think it’s very important and I talk about it with my team very often”. The excitement of the first times, the wisdom of a well-formed person and the level of an experienced one, probably the best possible combination in sport.
By repetition one can get used to hearing the praises of the player formed at Texas Tech, but it’s not half normal what the Swede does. The doubt hovers in everyone’s head, at some point he will hit bone, but don’t be so sure it’s going to be this week. As long as his knee responds, of course. It’s the and if yes that gnaws at you… and if yes Ludvig Aberg?
