Ludvig Aberg’s favorite Ryder Cup memory to give Brooks Koepka nightmares


Ludvig Aberg is in the field for the Sanderson Farms Championship a week after he helped Team Europe beat down Team USA in the Ryder Cup. This week marks his eighth PGA Tour start as a rookie since he finished No. 1 in the PGA Tour University standings. He has made six of the seven cuts previously.

The rookie went 2-2-0 in his first Ryder Cup appearance, but one of those wins made history.

“I think there will be a lot of things that I’ll remember,” Aberg said. “Everyone talks about that first tee and the nerves and the excitement and anticipation that comes with it. It was very true. I was shaking. I was nervous. I was feeling all these things.”

“For me to experience that was really cool. But I do think me and Viktor’s [Hovland] win on — that would be Saturday morning was quite memorable.”

Ryder Cup, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Rory McIlroy

Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images

He and fellow Scandinavian Viktor Hovland took down Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler 9 & 7 to set a Ryder Cup record. It was the largest margin of victory in the 96-year tournament history.

That match sent quite the message to Team USA as a rookie, and second-year Ryder Cup participant destroyed two of the world’s toughest competitors.

“It’s something I’ll never forget and always have that with me,” Aberg said. “If I didn’t win on Sunday, I don’t think that would have meant as much. The most important thing was to get the trophy back to Europe. But yeah, it was really cool.”

That was a defining moment for Team Europe and was another smack in the face to Team USA.

Regardless of jet lag or Ryder Cup hangover, the PGA Tour rookie made it a point to be in Mississippi.

“I wanted to honor my commitment and play. I know it’s good for me,” Aberg said. “Almost a little selfishly, I knew I wanted to play. For me to get all these experiences on different golf courses, different tournaments, play as much as I can, I’d like to still think I’m young and I can handle it, but happy to be here.”

He will tee it up with Akshay Bhatia and Adam Svensson on Thursday at 1:50 p.m. EDT.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.