World No.1 Amateur Ludvig Aberg Secures PGA Tour Card

The No 1 amateur secured a direct route to the PGA Tour straight from college in a historic achievement.

Ludvig Aberg at the Valspar Championship 2023
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Ed Carruthers
By
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Ludvig Aberg has sensationally made history securing a PGA Tour Card after he claimed the No 1 spot on the PGA Tour University rankings on Monday. 

The 23-year-old Swedish golfer clinched the top spot in the NCAA D-I National Championship after a year-long tournament that culminated at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

He'll become the first player ever to gain a spot on the PGA Tour straight out of college and will keep his Tour card for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. 

It comes after the PGA Tour announced in 2022 that the top player on the PGA Tour University Rankings would receive a tour exemption, while the other five top-ranked players would gain places on the Korn Ferry Tour for 2023.

It's been a very successful season for the Texas Tech senior, who also holds down the top spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. 

Last week he won his second successive Ben Hogan Award becoming only the second player to achieve that feat after Jon Rahm won back-to-back awards in 2015 and 2016.

The award is given to the best College golfer in the US during the season and since winning his first Hogan Award in May 2022, the Swede has gone from strength to strength, winning four times on the Collegiate tour while racking up nine top-ten finishes, in what's been a hugely impressive season. 

During that time, he's also stepped up to play in two DP World Tour events and four PGA Tour events, including the Valero Texas Open and the RSM Classic. He currently boasts a very impressive scoring average of 68.46 from all the tournaments he's played in this season. 

His best finish in a pro event thus far came in March where he secured T24 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, ending the weekend above some big names, including Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood and the World No 2, Rahm. 

He would have earned a lovely $185,833 from that placing, had he not been an amateur at that event.

Can Aberg make the European Ryder Cup Team?

Having already had a taste for team competitions, playing in the World Amateur team championships earlier this season, Aberg may have caught the eye of Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.

It's clear that the European Team will need all the strength it can get this fall in Rome, coming up against a US side that is brimming with talent.

Ludvig Aberg finished T24 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this season

Ludvig Aberg finished T24 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this season.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Having now picked up his card, he'll be eligible to play in the remainder of the 2023 season, and could now gain a berth in Donald's team that will head out to the Marco Simone Golf Club in September.

It is unlikely that the Swede will be able to qualify through European or World ranking points, considering he's only just got his card and will have to surpass aside some established names for those spots.

But he could find himself selected as one of Donald's six captain's picks, if he continues his excellent run of form this season.

Ed Carruthers
Ed Carruthers
Writer

Ed has been playing golf for as long as he can remember and is obsessive about the sport. He is regularly sought after by family members and friends for advice on what equipment to buy and uses his background, having written extensively on golf in the past, to produce equipment orientated content for Golf Monthly.  

Having obtained a Masters in Law with Medicine from the University of Liverpool, Ed has recently changed paths into journalism and just last year achieved his NCTJ Sports Journalism Diploma with the Press Association. 

He has written for a variety of media outlets over the years and has interviewed some big names in sport, including Premier League managers, All Blacks Coaches and Grand Slam tennis superstars. He has also worked on some huge sporting events, including the 2021 Australian Open and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. And when he's not writing for Golf Monthly, you'll find him producing news and feature articles for the MailOnline's sports desk, where he covers everything from football to rugby union. 

During his weekends off, you'll likely find Ed heading out for a round at one of his local golf clubs with his friends, and was, up until recently, a member at the Leatherhead Golf Club in Surrey. Ed also plays the saxophone, can tell you some pretty terrible dad jokes and can knock up a very tasty carbonara!   

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