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Swede Ludvig Aberg’s bid to turn into the one Main debutant to triumph at The Masters fell quick on Sunday however his match efficiency confirmed his standing because the rising star in golf.
The 24-year-old completed second, 4 strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler, after carding a final-round 69 however he definitely gained many admirers among the many patrons at Augusta Nationwide and past.
And his efficiency has stuffed Aberg with self-belief.
“Everybody in my place, they will wish to be Main champions. They’ll wish to be world No 1, and it’s the identical for me, that’s nothing totally different,” he mentioned.
“It has been that means ever since I picked up a golf membership, and that hasn’t modified. So I feel this week solidifies loads of these issues are there, and we simply have to maintain doing these issues and put ourselves in positions to win tournaments.”
Aberg solely turned skilled in June 2023 after a stellar faculty and beginner profession however has already made a huge impact within the professional ranks.
He was a key part in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory over the USA final yr when he and Victor Hovland defeated Scheffler and Brooks Koepka with a report 9 & 7 win.
That efficiency got here after his first professional win within the European Masters in Switzerland in September and two months later he had his maiden win on the PGA Tour on the RSM Traditional.
Having risen to ninth on the earth rankings, Aberg was seen as a contender at Augusta regardless of his lack of Main expertise.
His second spherical of 69, when so many struggled in Friday’s excessive winds, put him in competition for the weekend however whereas he needed to accept runner-up spot – and a useful $2,160,000 – he additionally mentioned he was ready to absorb the expertise.
“Enjoying right here at Augusta Nationwide is a dream come true. Simply to be on this state of affairs and really feel the nerves and really feel the strain strolling down the final couple holes is what you dream of,” he mentioned.
“That is what I’ve been desirous to do for such a very long time, and it’s fairly surreal to really have the chance to expertise it. However I’m so pleased with myself and all the individuals on my staff and my household and everybody concerned.”
At a time when golf is riven by the usually bitter divide between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the emergence of a brand new star excites many however he isn’t totally snug with being described because the “new face of golf.”
“I wouldn’t think about myself the face of golf. Completely not,” he mentioned. “Clearly I’m OK with all this stuff that comes with it. My foremost focus is to play good golf and all of the media issues that comes with it’s not actually as much as me.
“All I attempt to do is ensure that for the subsequent match that I come ready, and I feel the expertise that I’ve had this week solidifies that we’re doing loads of great things and that we aren’t going to vary an entire lot.”
Subsequent month, he’ll get an opportunity to go one higher in a Main on the PGA Championship and it’s a prospect he’s now relishing.
“This being my first Main championship, you by no means actually know what it’s going to be like till you’re there and expertise it,” he mentioned. “I feel this week has given me loads of expertise and loads of classes realized when it comes to these issues.
“It makes me actually hungry, and it makes me wish to do it repeatedly, I feel.”
© Agence France-Presse
Picture: Warren Little/Getty Pictures
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