The former Red Raiders golfer is a dark horse pick to win his first major tournament in Augusta this weekend.
The golf world has their attention turned to the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia this week as the best players in the world gather for the 90th Masters.
Among the field is Ludvig Åberg, a product of Texas Tech's emerging program and one of the rising stars in the sport.
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Åberg's season to this point is marred by his catastrophic collapse on Sunday at THE PLAYERS Championship last month, but a recent surge in his overall play coincides well with the first major of the year beginning this week.
The historic course at Augusta is also a favorable layout for Åberg's strengths, which is why PGA writer Rick Gehman has "cautious optimism" about the former Red Raider. Of course, the caution comes from Åberg's inexperience, his recent let-down in crunch time, and how the overall demands of this tournament could create a similar experience.
Still, Åberg has enough in his repertoire to be in contention for a green jacket. Gehman calls him "the perfect player to accomplish this feat. He’s excellent in nearly every facet of his game and is getting hot at the right time," with three top-five finishes in his last three starts.
According to DraftKings, Åberg has +1650 odds of winning this year's Masters, the fifth-shortest in the field behind two-time Masters champ Scottie Scheffler (+510), Jon Rahm (+900), Bryson DeChambeau (+1050) and defending champion Rory McIlroy (+1175).
The course gives bombers room to swing freely, provided they avoid a disaster miss. But the real separator comes on approach shots. Augusta’s layered greens demand precise distance control, smart shot shape, and the ability to leave the ball in the right section of the putting surface.
Around the greens, experience matters, too. Players who can chip, pitch, and recover with confidence usually rise as the week goes on.
That profile fits Åberg as well as almost anyone in the field.
He’s coming in with strong recent form after a T3 at Bay Hill, a T5 at THE PLAYERS, and another T5 in San Antonio last week. He also already owns a runner-up and a seventh-place finish at Augusta, which helps explain why he’s drawing so much attention entering Masters week.
Åberg tees off in Augusta at 12:08 p.m. CT on Thursday alongside Rahm and Chris Gotterup. Round 2 will be Friday with this group teeing off in the morning at 8:43 a.m. CT.
