Ludvig Aberg makes successful Ryder Cup debut, helping Team Europe to big lead
Team Europe started with a bang at the 44th Ryder Cup, and Ludvig Aberg did his part in a successful debut on one of golf's biggest stages.
The former Texas Tech star teamed with Viktor Hovland for a 4 & 3 victory over Max Homa and British Open champion Brian Harman, helping the Europeans sweep the four foursomes (alternate shot) matches on Friday's first morning of play outside Rome, Italy.
Hovland got them going by holing a long chip on the first hole, firing up the crowd at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. Aberg made a 12-foot birdie on No. 6 and a 16-footer on No. 9 to help his team go 3-up. The two-time Ben Hogan Award winner as college golf's top player made it 4-up with a putt on No. 14, and Hovland closed out the Americans on the next hole.
Aberg and Hovland gave the Europeans a 2-0 lead, and they went on to their first ever sweep of a morning session at a Ryder Cup. The day ended with Europe leading 6 1/2 to 1 1/2, tying for the largest margin after the first eight matches.
The U.S. won 19-9 two years ago at Whistling Straits, but hasn't won on European soil since 1993.
This year's event is taking place in Guidonia Montecelio, Italy. Aberg, a captain's pick by Team Europe's Luke Donald, is the first player to make a Ryder Cup team before playing in a major. His selection came three months after the 23-year-old Swede turned pro, the shortest time by any player in the modern era.
The Aberg-Hovland pairing is one of Big 12 stars from Scandinavia. Hovland, from Norway, played at Oklahoma State, where he was the Ben Hogan Award winner in 2019.
Aberg went straight from Texas Tech to the PGA Tour, becoming the first player to earn his card by finishing atop the PGA Tour University standings. He's made nine of 12 cuts in PGA Tour events and won the Europeans Masters four weeks ago. He's No. 80 on the Official World Golf Ranking, but being viewed as one of the game's rising stars.
"The ball striking is incredible," four-time major champion Rory McIlroy said this week, "but I was really impressed with his wedge play and how he can sort of control his trajectory with shorter clubs. I was on the bandwagon before. Certainly at the front of it now."
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This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Ludvig Aberg makes winning Ryder Cup debut, helping Europe to big lead
