Ludvig Aberg was sitting comfortably at the top of the PLAYERS Championship 2026 leaderboard. But one poor swing completely changed the trajectory of the tournament.

As reported by many news outlets, “🚨💦 #WATER BALL — Tournament leader Ludvig Aberg has found the water at 11. 👀”

Aberg’s approach shot on the par-4 11th hole fell 34 yards short of the cup. Unfortunately, a small pond occupied that area as his ball was lost in the water. He was forced to retake the 104 yards away from the hole and faced a penalty. The two-time PGA Tour champion ended up scoring a bogey on the hole to take his score for the round up to 1-over par.

That was only the beginning of the downfall of Aberg. He scored a double bogey on the 12th hole and another bogey on the 15th. That pushed him back to T5 on the leaderboard, four strokes away from the leader.

The 26-year-old had the perfect opportunity to win the tournament at the beginning of the round. He had ended 54-holes with a three-stroke lead against the field. Even if he had played it safe and maintained even par, then Aberg would have still been tied at the top. But he ended up paying the price for taking too many risks.

Aberg was not having a great couple of rounds already. On Saturday, he and Xander Schauffele were warned for a slow pace of play after they took too long to complete the par-4 fourth hole. Interestingly, he struggled to perform on the fourth hole today as well. He scored a bogey on the hole just like he did in the third round.

That said, Aberg is slowly progressing towards the top of the leaderboard. But is he nearing a win?

Ludvig Aberg’s previous wins hint at him nearing a third PGA Tour title

Yes, Ludvig Aberg has lost a golden opportunity to grab a PGA Tour win. He had nearly won the PLAYERS Championship title, if not for the poor run from the 11th hole onwards. But his recent form might suggest that he is getting close to another win in the near future.

Aberg’s first PGA Tour title came after he grabbed a series of good results in 2023. A runner-up after playoffs in the Sanderson Farms Championship, followed by a T13 in the Shriners Children’s Open. Then he finished at T10 in the WWT Championship before finally winning the RSM Classic.

Towards the end of 2024, Aberg got a T2 in the BMW Championship. He also finished solo 6th in the Hero World Challenge. To kick off 2025, the 26-year-old managed a T5th in The Sentry. A few weeks later, he had won the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines.

Judging by his pattern of wins and the current calendar of PGA Tour events, Aberg will be perfectly lined up to perform well at Augusta National. That will be a great place to finally end the misfortune of close wins and finish at the top of the leaderboard. Could Ludvig Aberg be wearing the Green Jacket this time next month? Only time will tell.