PHOTO: Bildbyrån
This week world star Ludvig Åberg has surgery on his knee – the plan is to play competitive golf again in November.
The goal is to challenge world number one Scottie Scheffler in the future.
– He is the benchmark, says mentor Peter Hanson.
Directly after the final round of the PGA Tour’s final competition on Sunday, the shooting star left Ludvig Åberg the announcement that he will have surgery on his knee on Thursday.
– The decision to have an operation to fix the meniscus was made a while ago, says the former golf star Peter Hansonwho is a mentor to Åberg.
– From what I understand, the procedure is not particularly difficult, but as always when you are inside with a knife and cutting, there are risks. But if everything goes well, it’s a relatively quick rehab process.
Åberg’s message
Åberg’s plan is to play the European Tour’s two playoff events in the United Arab Emirates in November.
– Subject to how his rehab goes – there I will push for him not to stress, says Hanson.
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Already during his major debut in the US Masters in April, the 24-year-old felt his knee. Ahead of the major event, the PGA Championship, in May, he stood over the gen rope as a safety measure.
– It is difficult to say how the injury occurred. After all, Ludvig is an old soccer player and meniscus injuries are not uncommon.
Hanson believes that the knee injury has possibly affected Åberg’s long game somewhat, but that above all it has limited the Swede’s ability to train physically as he wants.
– There has been more focus on maintaining and ensuring that the knee works. It’s never a good feeling for a top athlete, especially not when you’re 24 years old. Then you want to accelerate, get better and stronger.
“Magically successful”
Åberg finished his first full season on the US Tour by finishing 16th in the final event, but the week before he was tied for second in the second playoff event.
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In just 15 months as a professional, Åberg has won in both the USA and Europe, played in the Ryder Cup and he is now ranked number five in the world.
– His journey from amateur to professional has been magically successful. We can sum it up as success.
The world number one Scottie Scheffler took home the playoffs and has dominated the season with seven titles – for example the major competition US Masters which he won ahead of the lone runner-up Åberg.
– An incredible season by Scheffler, almost incomprehensible. He is the benchmark and I think it is good for Ludvig to have someone he can really measure himself against. Trying to challenge Scheffler will be one of the goals, says Peter Hanson.
Facts: Åberg’s 2024
Some highlights for Ludvig Åberg during the Swede’s first full year as a golf professional:
At the end of January, he was the sole runner-up at Pebble Beach – the final round was canceled due to bad weather.
In March, Åberg finished eighth in The Players Championship – “the fifth major” and climbed to ninth place in the world ranking.
The major debut in the US Masters in April ended with a solitary second place behind the sovereign Scottie Scheffler.
In June, he led the US Open major after two rounds, but fell back in the third and finished tied for twelfth. Is the new world number four after the competition.
Is tied for fourth in the Scottish Open, the general rep for the British Open, but misses the qualification limit in the last major competition of the year. It is just the second missed cut in 19 events in 2024 – the other coming in the PGA Championship major.
Makes his Olympic debut during the summer, but has to settle for a shared 18th place at Le Golf National outside Paris.
Finished in August in a tie for second in the second playoff event in Colorado and enters the tour finals in fifth. But the game at East Lake never takes off and he finishes in 16th place. Is ranked fifth in the world after the playoffs.
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