Ludvig Aberg's Ryder Cup berth adds luster to desert's Prestige college golf tournament
Desert golf fans might have recognized the name Ludvig Aberg when the Swedish golfer won his first event on the DP World Tour this month, or when the rookie professional was named as a captain’s pick for the European Ryder Cup team.
That’s because Aberg, as a member of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, won the individual title three consecutive times in the desert’s Prestige college golf tournament, the last two years outright after sharing the title in 2021. His latest title came in February, when Aberg was clearly going to win the PGA Tour U competition to earn a PGA Tour card for the remainder of 2023 and all of 2024.
"I feel like it's always been there and it's always been a motivation for me," Aberg said after the captain's pick announcement for Europe on Monday. "Obviously, growing up in Europe and in Sweden, you want to be part of these teams at some point during your career, but I didn't realize this was going to be this quickly."
That Aberg has gone from a talented collegiate player winning in the Coachella Valley to a berth on the European Ryder Cup team in six months is impressive. But Aberg is hardly the only golfer with Prestige connections who will play in the Ryder Cup in Italy later this month
For instance:
Viktor Hovland
In 2019, Oklahoma State had one of the most impressive teams in college golf, and one reason was Hovland. The Norwegian star was already the reigning U.S. Amateur champion when he won the individual title at the Prestige over, among others, his teammate Matthew Wolff. Hovland is the current FedEx Cup playoff winner on the PGA Tour.
Jon Rahm
The Spanish star was also a star at Arizona State in the mid-2010s. While he never won the Prestige title at PGA West, he has gone on to win two The American Express titles at different courses in La Quinta. He also has two major wins, including the Masters this year.
More: Fight to finish: Ludvig Aberg battles strong wind, field to win another Prestige at PGA West title
Xander Schauffele
Schauffele was the big name at San Diego State in the early 2010s and has been a star on the PGA Tour ever since. While he has threatened but never won a major title, Schauffele will be playing on his second Ryder Cup team for the United States this month. He also has the gold medal from the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Max Homa
Homa is a rising name in the professional world, but fans in California have known him for his days at Cal, where he was not only a top collegiate golfer but won the 2013 NCAA individual title. Cal was a fixture in the Prestige when Homa was there. Homa is now ranked seventh in the Official World Golf Rankings and will play in his first Ryder Cup this year.
Sam Burns
LSU won the Prestige team title in 2016, 2017 and 2019, and Burns was a part of the first two titles. Burns never won the individual title in the desert (his teammate Zach Wright won the 2016 title), but he has gone on to a strong professional career with five PGA Tour victories. That was enough for him to get a captain’s pick for his first Ryder Cup.
Wyndham Clark
Another top player from the strong Oklahoma State program, Clark’s name might not have meant much to the average golf fan until he won the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club this summer. But Clark was in the desert for an Oklahoma State team that did not win the team title in Clark’s years at the school.
Luke Donald
No, Donald won’t be playing in the Ryder Cup this year, but he will be the captain of the European team. Donald was a star at Northwestern University and won the 1999 NCAA individual championship for the Wildcats. In 2000, Donald played for Northwestern in the first Prestige tournament played at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert.
Another golfer on the U.S. team this year, Collin Morikawa, never played in the Prestige but did play in the Cowboy Invitational, the desert college event hosted by the University of Wyoming.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Ludvig Aberg's Ryder Cup berth adds luster to desert's Prestige college golf tournament
