Ludvig Aberg draws eye-opening Rory McIlroy comparison; Ryder Cup consideration from captain
Aberg, the young Swedish phenom, has a solid chance of representing Team Europe at the Ryder Cup after his impressive performance in Detroit.
Get to know the name Ludvig Aberg, as he surely will be Team Europe’s next Ryder Cup star.
At the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit this week, Aberg has turned a lot of heads for his superb play. That includes Luke Donald, who will captain the European side in Rome later this year.
Nick Doughtery of the Golf Channel spoke with Donald, who played with Aberg during the first two rounds of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
After Aberg fired a 7-under 65 on Thursday and a 5-under 67 on Friday, Donald compared the young Swede to one of the biggest stars in the game.
“He told me there have only been a few [players] that he’s played with for the very first time that have the ‘wow’ factor,” Doughtery, per Kyle Porter of CBS. “One of them is Rory. That was back in 2008 at the Dunhill Links.”
“Now he says Ludvig Aberg is one of those guys as well,” Doughtery added. “He said his driver is a huge weapon; he makes the game look effortless. He added that as long as he continues to show form, he will definitely be considered for the [Ryder Cup] team. ... This guy is going to be a superstar.”
Aberg leads the Rocket Mortgage Classic in strokes gained off the tee, as he has blistered his tee shots all over Detroit Golf Club.
The Swede is averaging almost 328 yards in driving distance, which ranks second in the field.
That’s an impressive number, and can surely give Team Europe an advantage at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome later this fall.
Considering many former European Ryder Cup stars defected to LIV Golf and thus lost their DP World Tour membership, Team Europe may look different in 2023 than in years past.
But Aberg may be Europe’s new ‘superstar’ as his game continues to impress.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.