Ludvig Aberg revealed this week that he has turned down two offers from LIV Golf in less than nine months. The first was in February, when he was still an amateur and shortly before turning professional. The second came in November, a few days after winning the RSM Classic on the PGA Tour. The decision not to heed the call of the Saudi circuit came about because, in his own words, “we realised that I could potentially burn many bridges and that did not interest me”.
Aberg, undoubtedly the most significant breakthrough in world golf in 2023, has confessed that he is not motivated by money, at least for now. “In the offer they made me there were quite a few negative things, which is not good. We realised that I could potentially burn many bridges, and that did not interest me. When I look back, I am very sure of the decision I made. I will never chase money; what I do is compete. I did the right thing”. These words, spoken to Eurosport, inevitably remind us quite a bit of the discourse that Jon Rahm himself maintained before accepting the Saudi offer.
Aberg has explained that at this stage of his career “I want to play against the best because I am a competitive person and I like to compete against the best players. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that can be the case right now, as golf is fractured”. The talented Nordic golfer also hopes that an agreement can be reached in the future that will bring unity back to world golf.
Again, and reminiscent of Rahm, he spoke of traditions and history when referring to the American circuit. “When I look at the PGA Tour and the competitions there, there is a lot of history. And that’s what I like, that’s what I’m looking for. But then everyone’s decisions must be respected”.
Obviously, it would be interesting to see if Aberg would think the same if he were guaranteed the Majors for the coming years, an aspect that has undoubtedly weighed heavily in Rahm’s decision to move to LIV Golf.
