AP – Ludvig Aberg had a big reputation from his amateur career. He clearly had the game, too.
Still, Europe captain Luke Donald needed to see the 23-year-old Swede up close if he was going to make him a pick for the Ryder Cup. So, just one month after Aberg turned professional, Donald played the first two rounds with him at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on the PGA Tour in early July.
“I was blown away,” Donald said of a young player who delivered one final flourish in the Swiss mountains to ensure he’d make the transition from the amateur ranks to the Ryder Cup quicker than anyone in history.
A day after surging to victory in the European Masters under intense pressure, Aberg capped his rapid rise in just three months as a pro by earning one of Donald’s six picks for the matches against the United States outside Rome from September 29-October 1.
“I played with a lot of contenders over these last six to 12 months. Some haven’t played that well,” Donald said. “But he didn’t have any problem.”
Donald filled out his team on Monday by picking Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose along with three rookies – Aberg, Sepp Straka and Nicolai Hojgaard – as Europe bids to win back the trophy after being routed by the Americans at Whistling Straits in 2021.
