Former Red Raider golfer Ludvig Åberg leads by three strokes going into the final round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Sweden's Ludvig Åberg, a Texas Tech product who has blown away the golf world with his imminent talent and immediate rise up the world rankings, is on the precipice of history Sunday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Florida.
Åberg leads The Players Championship through three rounds with a score of 13-under par 203. He is three strokes ahead of the next competitor (Michael Thorbjornsen -10).
If the former Red Raider can maintain his lead at The Players - often labeled golf's "fifth major" because of its prestige and history - it'd be his third PGA Tour win since turning pro in 2023.
Åberg's Friday round sent shockwaves through the sport, as his 63 - a career-best round - officially stamped him as the man to beat in the tournament.
The 26-year-old began that round going birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie for a sizzling front-nine score of 29 (one stroke away from a course record). He made the turn and finished the round 9-under to grab the top spot on the leaderboard.
"I think overall I felt like I was striking it quite nice," Åberg said humbly. "I kind of got away with a few tee balls in the middle of the round where I wasn’t hitting the fairways necessarily.
"But yeah, I think I got away with a few for sure. But overall, I feel like my iron play has been pretty good lately, the last couple weeks."
On Saturday, Åberg shot a 71 to pull ahead of American Xander Schauffle to take a three-stroke advantage into the final round on Sunday.
He spoke about his steady rise throughout the last year, bringing him to a world ranking of 21 and a grabbers chance at his first major championship.
"Just kind of progressively getting better," Åberg said of his journey. "I feel like I've understood a little bit more what's important for me in my golf swing and kind of sticking to that, not necessarily trying to look away other ways around it, and keeping it very simple.
"I think my mind is very good when it's simple, and when things are very easy, and that's what I've felt like I've been able to do over the last couple of weeks."
At Texas Tech, Åberg ended his collegiate career as the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world. He was the inaugural PGA Tour U champion and swept the three major National Player of the Year awards as a senior in 2023, becoming just the seventh man to accomplish such feat.
As a professional, Åberg resides in Ponte Vedra just around the corner from TPC Sawgrass, though he told reporters that he only gets on the course "every now and then."
Now, he has a legit chance to walk off the 18th green Sunday with a career-defining championship trophy in tow.
Åberg tees off in the final grouping with Thorbjornsen at 1:40 p.m. ET (12:40 p.m. CST).
