Ludvig Aberg carded seven-under 65 at Detroit Golf Club; Swede has been professional for less than a month but could continue sensational run to Ryder Cup; watch ongoing coverage of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sky Sports Golf, beginning with early coverage from 6.30pm
Last Updated: 29/06/23 11:27pm
Ludvig Aberg showcased his skills at the PGA Tour event
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg produced a near-perfect audition in front of Europe captain Luke Donald to boost his chances of making a remarkable Ryder Cup debut in Rome.
Aberg only joined the paid ranks earlier this month but was already on Donald’s radar after a stellar amateur career and appearances in professional events which have seen him ranked the 11th-best available European player, according to analytics site DataGolf.
And the 23-year-old made the most of his first day playing alongside Donald at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, carding an opening 65 containing an eagle and seven birdies and marred only by bogeys on the last two holes, to sit one shot off the lead.
“It stings a little bit to finish the way I did,” said Aberg, who is eligible for the Ryder Cup as an affiliate member of the DP World Tour.
“I think right now it’s a little bit disappointing, but when I get some perspective on it I think I’ll be pretty OK with that round.
Luke Donald is Team Europe’s Ryder Cup captain this year
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play a few of these events before so I’ve been exposed to this a little bit, but I think just going back-to-back weeks is a little bit different from what I’ve done before. It’s just going to take a little time.
“I think being OK with being a little bit uncomfortable at times is going to be key. All in all, it’s super fun. It’s so much fun to play these events and I’m looking forward to playing a lot more.
“I know what I can do deep down and I know my capabilities, obviously that’s what I expect from myself, but it’s fun to see where that takes me and hopefully I’ll be able to keep it up as well.”
Aberg became the first player to hit every fairway and hit at least 17 greens in a single round on the PGA Tour since Jon Rahm in the opening round of this year’s Masters, and admits he feels confident when stepping up to the tee.
“Driver is one of my favourite clubs and I like hitting it,” Aberg said.
“Obviously, you’re not going to hit the fairway every time, but hopefully I’ll be able to keep it up the next couple of days as well.”
Six players will qualify automatically for the European team to face the United States at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club from September 29 to October 1, with Donald having six wild cards at his disposal.
Qualifier Kuest shares lead at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Qualifier Peter Kuest carded an eight-under-par round of 64 on Thursday to share the lead with Taylor Moore after the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
It appeared Kuest would hold the outright lead, but Moore poured in his fourth birdie in a five-hole stretch on No 17 to pull even. Moore’s birdie attempt on the 18th, which would have tied the course record, slid just right of the cup.
Scoring was low at Detroit Golf Club, but nobody went lower than Moore and Kuest, who had to play his way into the field on Monday.
Peter Kuest hits his approach shot onto the 18th green during the first round of the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic
Kuest offset a lone bogey with nine birdies, including going out in six-under 30 on the front nine. He attempts to become the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA Tour since Corey Conners at the 2021 Valero Texas Open.
“It feels good. We’ve got another round tomorrow so we’re going to get ready for that and then just take it one step at a time,” said Kuest, who added that he probably would have been fishing back home in Utah on Thursday had he not made it through the Monday qualifier.
Kuest is ranked 789th in the Official World Golf Ranking and while he holds Korn Ferry Tour status, he hasn’t gotten into an event yet. So he has been hammering on the Monday Qualifiers, in addition to posting a T14 on a sponsors exemption at the Byron Nelson in June.
He has never been on the front page of a PGA Tour leaderboard following a round, but Kuest will enter Friday tied for the lead with Moore ahead of a slew of players at seven under including Swedish sensation Aberg, fellow rookie Sam Bennett and Dylan Wu, who carded a pair of eagles during his round. Wu’s attempt to tie for the lead slid left of the cup on his final hole.
Collin Morikawa acknowledges the fans after his putt on the third green during the first round of the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament at Detroit Country Club
Collin Morikawa, trying to win in a tournament debut for the fifth time in his career, is another shot back at six under. Rickie Fowler, who reached seven under during his morning round, also bogeyed his final two holes to drop back to five under.
“To be perfectly honest, I had to go to the bathroom pretty badly, so luckily I just got drug tested so I went straight in,” Fowler said when asked if he went straight to the range to practice. “There weren’t many bathrooms the last five holes, so I was a little shaky coming in. And not to necessarily blame the finish on that, but it didn’t help.”
Defending champion Tony Finau struggled to an even-par round of 72 with four pars and four bogeys.
Watch ongoing coverage of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sky Sports Golf, beginning with early coverage from 6.30pm.
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