Aberg Enjoys Win Over McIlroy As His Dream Continues On Ryder Cup Scouting Trip

If you'd have taken the Ludvig Aberg story script to film makers they'd have laughed you out of the studios - yet here he is playing in a feature group at Wentworth just days after beating Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood on a Ryder Cup scouting mission.

The young Swede turned pro in June, won his first tournament 75 days later and was rewarded with a wildcard pick from Luke Donald into the European Ryder Cup spot.

It led to the 23-year-old being part of the European team that played Marco Simone this week on a scouting trip - where Aberg showed he may be a rookie but is capable of mixing it with the very best.

McIlroy said he was "really impressed" and called Aberg's ball striking "incredible" - which came from the experience of losing to him in Rome.

"He's good. He's very good," Aberg said of McIlroy. "But yeah, me and Viktor played a match against him and Tommy (Fleetwood). We winded up winning on the 16th hole which was fun. Me and Viktor beat them in best-ball. It was fun.

"Obviously his resume speaks for itself and what he's done and did for the game is quite incredible, and to watch that first hand was pretty cool. I'm sure he's going to do well."

As with seemingly everything, Aberg takes everything in his stride in that cool, calm and collected manner that many Scandinavian golfers have exhibited down the years.

He does admit to nerves, but it's the way he's been handling his nerves that has made him stand out from the crowd in his embryonic pro career.

"Yes, I feel nervous," he admitted. "I feel absolutely nervous. It would be weird if I didn't. I try to view it as something good. It means that I care and it means that it shows that I want to do well.

"But you know, it's also just being nervous doesn't necessarily need to affect how you behave and how you get around on the golf course. I think that's what I try to view it as, and obviously being in new situations is going to be a little bit different. It's going to make your body react a little bit different.

"But I try to embrace it and try to have fun with it and play golf with a smile."

Saying it was "pretty cool" to spend time with the rest of the European team and start to get to know them personally, Aberg is already aware of the team spirit that Donald is trying to maintain - something that has powered Europe to many a Ryder Cup win down the years.

"I think as European, we have that team camaraderie, and it is a team event," he said. "We normally play for ourselves but now we are actually playing for something else and something bigger.

"I think, you know to, have that support from your teammates next to you is going to be crucial and if you don't feel that, it's going to be difficult to perform but that's going to give you a little bit of an edge I think.

"So I think the day we had in Rome was great for that reason and I think we need to keep that up the next few weeks, too."

With Aberg, Hovland and Nicolai Hojgaard in the side the Scandinavian influence in the team is obvious - and judging by results in Rome Aberg and Hovland could be a huge pairing for Donald against Team USA.

"It's great. So me and Viktor, we can speak the same language. I can't do that with Nicolai because Danish is very difficult," Aberg explained.

"It makes it a little bit easier and we are kind of coming from the same background. So I guess we can relate to each other on a similar level.

"For me it's a lot of fun to be around those environments and be around those guys and learn and pick up some stuff here and there and try to apply that to my own game."

If Aberg can replicate some of his tournament form in the Ryder Cup, then his stellar rise to fame could take another huge leap if he can star in Rome.