Ahead of the year's first golf major, Ludvig Åberg is one of the biggest favorites - and it's easy to understand why.
In both of his previous visits to Augusta, the 26-year-old from Scania has been in contention for a long time.
This year he also arrives with very strong form: Åberg has finished third, fifth and fifth in his last three events. He has never before put together a similar streak in his almost three years on the PGA Tour.
He is probably exactly in the position he wants to be in for this tournament, which is actually quite a big difference from last year. I think it makes a lot of difference what he has in his bag when he comes here, says coach Hans Larsson.
Positive trends
Before his debut two years ago, Ludvig Åberg was troubled by knee problems. Last year his form was shaky. Yet he was among the top finishers on both occasions.
Now he arrives straight from Texas, where, just like in The Players in March, he was in the lead early in the final round. But Åberg, who had to play 30 holes on Sunday due to earlier rain interruptions, was unable to hold on to victory this time either.
Unfortunately, he was quite a bit worse, tee-to-green, on Sunday. But he understood why, and we worked on it. After 20 minutes on the range yesterday it was back in the right place again, says Hans Larsson.
Larsson has seen many good trends in Åberg's game lately.
Above all, he has come back to hitting the ball much better, both off the tee and around the greens. His short game has improved. His putting was good last week, says Larsson.
Played with Norén
In the days leading up to the first major of the year, much of the focus is on conserving energy. Late Tuesday, Ludvig Åberg took to the course for the first time, paired with Alex Norén to play the final nine holes in the blazing afternoon sun. He will not meet the media until Wednesday.
And at 7:08 p.m. on Thursday, local time in Sweden, it's time. That's when Åberg begins his hunt for a historic first Swedish victory at Augusta, a course he has developed a bit of a love affair with over the past two years.
He always comes here with an extra-big smile when he steps onto the course. He gets a very good feeling just from being here; he obviously loves this place, says Hans Larsson.
Facts: Åberg's two previous Masters
+ 2024 – second in debut
After a tentative start, Åberg began to climb the leaderboard. He was fourth going into the final round, where he continued to climb until he was in a shared lead. A shot into a water hazard and a double bogey on hole 11 clouded his chances of victory, but Åberg finished alone in second place. He was four strokes behind Scottie Scheffler.
+ 2025 – seventh after nightmare ending
Once again, Åberg was fourth with 18 holes to play - and once again he moved into a shared lead. But the finish was the worst imaginable when Åberg, who was chasing birdie, made a bogey on hole 17 and a triple bogey on hole 18. Åberg fell back to seventh place. Rory McIlroy defeated Justin Rose in the playoff.
