Hours earlier, Rory McIlroy, who was ending his reign as defending champion of The Players Championship, was asked about past and future Ryder Cup teammate Ludwig Aberg, who was about to start the final round with a three-shot lead.
“Once he gets over the ball, he’s really decisive,” Rory said.
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Aberg stands over the ball and hits it. Don’t think too much. There is no wobble. I won’t back down.
In fact, it turns out that that lauded decisiveness can be detrimental at critical moments in big tournaments, when a round is on the brink of disaster.
Aberg should have taken a shot on the 12th tee after making bogey on the 11th when his second shot fell into the water. I should have put the ball on the tee, stepped back and reset. I should have done anything but immediately try to correct the mistakes of my previous few swings.
What happened next cost him the chance for the biggest victory of his young career.
On Sunday, March 15, at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course, Aberg was leading by two strokes with nine holes left when he hooked his driver in the water. Double bogey. ah.
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He rose from the sole lead to tie for fifth place with a 4-over 76, which was the worst final round score among the top 23 players. Aberg finished the week at 9 under par, four shots behind champion Cameron Young.
“If you look at the swings at No. 11 and 12, I think they were probably quick swings,” said Aberg, who lives in the Jacksonville area. “Looking back, that’s something I should have realized.”
The next big game for Aberg may come at his next PGA Tour start or next month’s Masters, but he will be conscious of slowing down.
But this time, mistakes piled up and Aberg was unable to recover.
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“It definitely got away from me,” he said.
“Really disappointed” with the result
What a missed opportunity for Aberg, who led from midway through the second round on March 13 until the 12th hole of the final round.
“Obviously, I was really disappointed,” Aberg said, looking quickly at the television monitor showing Young’s interview on the 18th green. “I want to be where Cam is right now.”
Aberg avoided the rough and sand for a birdie (maximum 14 under) on the second hole, returned the shot with a 7-wood on the fourth, and made five consecutive pars to close out the front nine with a 36.
“I felt like we did well early on,” Aberg said. “We got away with a few things, especially the fourth and left field mistake.”
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But that’s The Players. It’s not beautiful. It’s about survival.
The tour rolled out a commercial last month called “March Becomes Major,” which certainly gave off a major vibe during the final round. The pressure gradually increased and the course became difficult.
Aberg was in good control through the first 10 holes. Nothing great (just one birdie). But nothing like a train wreck (just one bogey).
At both the 2pm and 2:30pm innings, he led Matt Fitzpatrick and Michael Thorbjornsen by three strokes.
At both 3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., he led Fitzpatrick by two strokes.
As of 4 p.m., he was leading Fitzpatrick, Young and Robert McIntyre by two strokes.
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But then 4:20 p.m. happened and all hell broke loose for Aberg.
Was the second shot of No. 11 a mistake into the water? Hey, it’s golf. Take the medicine (bogey) and move on. Aberg wasn’t the only candidate to find water or make a critical mistake. Thor Bjornsen suffered a quadruple bogey on No. 4 and dropped out of the chase. Jacob Bridgman hit two balls into the pond. McIntyre found Ike at number 16. Sepp Straka hit two double bogeys in his final five holes.
After his bogey at 4:32 p.m., Aberg was tied for the lead with Fitzpatrick at 12 under. and …
“I pressed a little bit on No. 12 and tried to hit the driver,” Aberg said.
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Bad decisions and bad shots. Sprinkle water again.
After suffering a double bogey at 4:39 p.m., Aberg was tied for fourth place.
Ball game.
After all, Aberg could not threaten the leaders. He made pars on the 13th, 14th, 16th, and 18th, and made bogey on the 15th.
“The back nine wasn’t good,” Aberg said. “But sometimes things like that happen.”
Great weekend for the community
Struggles of Aberg deprived players of unique visual events.
For the first time, spectators were allowed into the fairway to follow the final group to the 18th green. It would have been a made-for-TV event. Instead, Young was preparing to present the trophy as Aberg and Thorbjornsen (77) finished their rounds.
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But it was also a great thing for our community. A packed crowd went wild on the 17th, the passageway to the 18th and final tee box. But once you got away from that bottleneck of mayhem, there was a great spot where you could get very close to the game, where you could hear the exchange between players and caddies about club selection. The children lined up on the rope and were able to give low touches to the players.
The weather was incredible, warm enough to be comfortable but not unbearably hot. You visit Taco Roo on No. 12 (I did it twice), you visit the Fun Zone behind No. 16 (I did it twice), and you set up shop on No. 17 to see who can get a birdie (late in the third round in my case).
The Players may not be recognized as a major, but the quality of the field, shot-making, and atmosphere are arguably better than the PGA Championship. Eventually, once Commissioner Brian Rolup, who takes over in 2027, finds his footing and irons out scheduling and other issues, he should do what it takes to officially make this the fifth major.
When The Players makes their fifth major tournament, Aberg will be there for the major championships, the Ryder Cup and the FedEx Playoffs as well. He’s a very nice person. He didn’t show it in the fourth round, but he has the talent to win in this type of event.
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“Overall, I feel like I still saw good things in my game this week,” Aberg said. “I hope I can do a little better next time.”
Expect more than a little success from Ludvig Aberg next time he races.
Contact O’Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared in the Florida Times Union: For Aberg, a quick swing at 12 equaled a quick collapse
