Getty Ludvig Aberg during the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
The sport of golf has a way of humbling — check that — humiliating anyone who’s ever picked up a club. And, yes, that includes the very best players in the world.
While Ludvig Aberg hasn’t experienced many of those moments since turning pro last June, the 24-year-old phenom finally became a bit more relatable to golf fans everywhere during the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open at famed Torrey Pines.
Remember a few weeks back when Rory McIlroy three-putted from two feet at the Dubai Invitational?
Well, Aberg had a similar situation play out on the always-tough South Course at Torrey Pines as he turned what was supposed to be an easy birdie into a bogey with a disastrous four-putt.
Ludvig Aberg Took 3 Putts From 3 Feet to Finish Off a 4-Putt Bogey at Torrey Pines
With a 4-under round of 68 on the North Course on Wednesday, Aberg got off to a fine start during Thursday’s second round on the much more challenging South Course, firing a 3-under 33 on the front nine.
After making pars at 10, 11, and 12, the 6-foot-3-inch Swede gave himself a shot at an eagle on the 583-yard, par-5 13th, reaching the putting surface in two with relative ease. And while nobody expected him to make the 44-foot attempt, Aberg hit a nice lag to about three feet, leaving himself with an easy tap-in birdie to get to 8-under for the tournament.
Or so everyone thought.
Sometimes you just have to laugh it off.
His birdie try hit the left edge and lipped out, leaving him roughly the same distance for par. But that attempt lipped out as well, leaving him with a bit of a tester for bogey, which he holed to drop to 6-under.
Yes, Aberg is human. Three putts from three feet to make bogey? Every golfer on the planet has been there. At least he was able to find the humor in it.
He dropped two more shots on the way in, making bogey at 14 and 17 to finish with an even-par round of 72, leaving him eight shots back of leader Stephan Jaeger heading into the final 36 holes.
Aberg Has Risen More Than 700 Spots in the World Rankings Since Turning Pro
Once the top-ranked amateur in the world for 29 weeks, Aberg made his pro debut last June at the RBC Canadian Open and tied for 25th, a finish that moved him into the 759th spot in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Since then, in 15 worldwide starts, the two-time Ben Hogan Award winner has missed just one cut and has recorded nine top-15 finishes, including two victories.
Last September, Aberg notched his first pro victory on the DP World Tour, shooting 19-under to take the Omega European Masters, a win that earned him a spot on the European Ryder Cup team as one of Luke Donald’s six captain’s picks.
The selection made him the first player in Ryder Cup history to appear in the event without ever having played a major championship. Aberg ultimately went 2-2 in Europe’s 16.5-11.5 victory.
In November, Aberg earned his first PGA Tour victory, shooting 29-under to take a four-stroke win at the RSM Classic. He entered this week’s event at Torrey Pines as the 29th-ranked player in the world, jumping 730 spots in the OWGR over the last seven and a half months.
Yeah, the guy’s good. But once again, golf has a way of humiliating everyone, even Ludvig Aberg.