Jon Rahm’s Treatment of PGA Tour Rising Talent During ‘First Interaction’ Speaks Volumes

Two years ago in Rome, Ludvig Aberg walked into the Ryder Cup practice trip as the new kid on the block. Fresh out of college, he had just turned professional, missed the FedEx Cup playoffs, and had yet to play a single major. Surrounded by icons like Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy, he could easily have felt like an outsider. But when he first shook their hands, something unexpected happened.

During his appearance on 5 Clubs with Gary Williams, Aberg revealed what the 2023 Ryder Cup’s Europe Team was all about. “I remember thinking, hey, I’m this rookie who’s just out of school, but they made me feel part of the team,” Aberg recalled. “They made me feel very welcomed… even though they’re multiple major champions and Hall of Famers, here they are listening to me and making me feel heard. We had some really intimate moments in the locker room… it was definitely a side I’d never seen before, and that’s what makes Team Europe so special.” That welcome told its own story. McIlroy and Rahm could have kept their distance, but instead they treated Åberg as a peer.

For Rahm, who had long advocated for college players to have clearer routes onto the PGA Tour, the Swede was living proof that the system worked. For McIlroy, it was Aberg’s poise that stood out. After the rookie finished runner-up at the 2024 Masters, McIlroy admitted he was “on the Aberg bandwagon” and “certainly at the front of it now.” Aberg’s journey began in the amateur ranks. At Texas Tech, he claimed the 2023 Haskins Award as the nation’s best collegiate male golfer, won the Ben Hogan Award in both 2022 and 2023, and swept the 2023 Jack Nicklaus Award as outstanding college player.

That warm welcome foreshadowed the player he would quickly become. Within weeks of turning pro in 2023, Aberg won the Omega European Masters on the DP World Tour. His rise on the PGA Tour was just as swift. In November 2023, Åberg claimed his maiden Tour title at the RSM Classic, tying the 72-hole scoring record with 253. Just five months later, he made a dream debut at Augusta, finishing runner-up at the 2024 Masters: the best finish ever by a Swede at the tournament.

By early 2025, the Swede had added a second PGA Tour title at the Genesis Invitational, sealing the win with a clutch birdie on the final hole and collecting $4 million in prize money. In just over a year as a pro, Aberg had accumulated 18 top-10 finishes, two PGA Tour victories, and more than $21 million in career earnings. In majors, his résumé already features a Masters runner-up, a T12 at the U.S. Open, and a T7 in his second Masters start.

What makes Aberg’s story remarkable isn’t just the speed of his success, but how seamlessly he has blended into golf’s biggest stages. Europe’s leaders saw in him not only raw talent but the temperament to thrive. They were right. In less than two seasons, Aberg has gone from rookie handshake to Ryder Cup hero, from unknown debutant to one of the brightest stars in world golf. He is no longer just Europe’s future; he is its present standard-bearer.

But for all the trophies and accolades, Aberg’s eyes still light up when the conversation turns to the Ryder Cup.

Ludvig Aberg wants to recreate his 2023 Ryder Cup partnership

Pressed on who he’d most love to partner at Bethpage Black this September, the Swede didn’t hesitate. His mind went straight back to Rome, to the joy of competing alongside Viktor Hovland. “I heard you guys talk to Viktor about the nine and seven,” Aberg told Sky Sports. “That was one of the highlights of my career so far. Definitely brings a smile to my face. I just love thinking back to it. If we get to pair up again that would be amazing.” The Scandinavian connection, featuring Aberg and Hovland, proved irresistible; their chemistry, both on and off the course, sparked Europe’s charge.

They had also dispatched Brian Harman and Max Homa 4&3 in Friday’s opening foursomes, making their partnership one of Luke Donald’s most reliable weapons. And Luke Donald, for his part, has never hidden his admiration for Aberg. “There are a few players I have played with throughout my career and you just see them for the first time and you know they have something special,” the European captain said after naming him one of his six picks for Bethpage. “I got a bit of heat before Rome when I picked him. New out of college, never played a major. But he’s almost won the last two Masters since then, winning on the PGA Tour, and the accolades keep coming. He’s just starting in his career and has already proven he can hang.” 

However, Aberg’s Genesis Invitational win in February remains his lone triumph of 2025. Yet the Swede has shown enough late-season momentum to make him a key figure once again. His long, straight driving and calm temperament are tailor-made for Bethpage’s brutal test, and Donald knows that Europe’s hopes of a first Ryder Cup win on American soil since 2012 could hinge on players like him.