Ludvig Aberg’s three-month lightning progression through the professional ranks was recognized on Monday, as the 23-year-old Swede was selected as one of Europe’s Ryder Cup captain’s picks , later in September in the suburbs of Rome.
Luke Donald completed his training by selecting Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose, along with three rookies — Aberg, Sepp Straka and Nicolai Hojgaard.
Straka and Hojgaard were preferred over Adrian Meronk in what has been called Donald’s toughest decision. However, it was Aberg’s presence on the team that captured the attention of European golf fans.
Aberg made the leap to the pros in June when he was ranked No. 1 in the world among amateurs. He had also just been named NCAA Most Outstanding Golfer for the second year in a row. Aberg hit four top 25 finishes in his first two months on the PGA Tour, before returning to Europe in hopes of convincing Donald he deserved a spot on the Ryder Cup team.
He earned his bet after winning the European Masters Tournament in Switzerland on Sunday with four consecutive birdies late in the final round.
“He showed yesterday that he has the potential to become one of golf’s stars,” Donald said.
Fleetwood narrowly missed out on automatic qualification thanks to the world rankings, but he was an easy choice for a third Ryder Cup appearance. Rose, 43, will be making his sixth appearance, while Lowry, another major title holder, will play at the Ryder Cup for the second year in a row.
Straka, ranked 23rd, was rewarded after a string of strong results, including a victory at the John Deere Classic, a tie for second at the British Open and a tie for sixth at the PGA Tour Championship, there eight days old.
Donald said he chose Hojgaard, 78th in the world, as he has three top-10 finishes in his last six tournaments.
This led to Meronk being expelled, despite his consistency on the European Tour. He notably won the Italian Open at the Marco Simone golf club, where the Ryder Cup will take place.
