Ludvig Aberg, who recently turned professional, warmed up for the Ryder Cup with an excellent performance in the first round of the BMW PGA Championship.
Despite making a double bogey on the 17th hole, the Swede was able to shoot a four-under-par 68 and end up with a better total than his Ryder Cup teammates Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland.
“Playing with Rory and Viktor was a lot of fun,” said Aberg, who is now 23 years old and only started his career as a professional in June.
Marcus Helligkilde of Denmark is currently in the lead at the clubhouse with eight under par.
Both Matt Fitzpatrick of England and Richie Ramsay of Scotland are tied for second place with a score of six under.
“The 17th was a little bit stupid but other than that I felt like I hit the ball great,” continued Aberg, who was handed a wildcard for the Ryder Cup a few hours after winning the European Masters in Switzerland earlier this month. The European Masters was held earlier this month.
McIlroy is currently three shots behind Hovland after the latter played a 69 that was three strokes better than par.
The Norwegian player Hovland had nothing but kind words to say about his Ryder Cup teammate Aberg.
According to the fourth-ranked player in the world, “The way he’s played over the past couple of months, he has not been a professional for very long, but he certainly does not look scared of the moment.”
I believe that this week will be very beneficial for him, but I also believe that he is prepared anyway.
“He possesses an extraordinary amount of potential, and one may expect to see him for a very long time. He is likely to achieve a lot of success.”
