Given the way Ludvig Åberg has performed in his first two appearances at Augusta National Golf Club, one has to think it's not a matter of if, but when the Swedish superstar becomes a Masters champion.
A year ago, Åberg debunked the theory that one needs experience to contend at Augusta, shooting 73-69-70-69 to finish in solo second behind winner Scottie Scheffler, collecting a cool $2.16 million for his efforts.
It also needs to be noted that was his first-ever appearance in a major championship.
Easily one of the favorites coming into the 2025 Masters, Åberg got off to a great start, firing a 4-under round of 68 on Thursday, putting him just three back of first-round leader Justin Rose in a tie for second with Scheffler and Corey Conners.
A second-round 73 knocked him down the leaderboard a bit, but he made his way back into the top five with a third-round 69.
As the 25-year-old was six shots back of Rory McIlroy heading into the final round, his odds to win weren't great. But when McIlroy stumbled on the second nine, making a double bogey at the 13th and a bogey at the 14th, Åberg found himself right there in the mix.
Astonishingly, the two-time PGA Tour winner was even tied for the lead coming down the stretch. But that didn't last long, as Åberg made some massive mistakes over his final two holes, mistakes that not only cost him a chance at a Green Jacket but also lost him a lot of money.
Ludvig Åberg shot 4-over on his final two holes at the 2025 Masters
After just missing the fairway to the left off the tee at the 17th, Åberg found the green with his second, leaving himself a 31-foot putt for birdie.
But that effort was uncharacteristically poor, as he misjudged the speed something fierce and rolled his ball nine feet past the cup. He then slid his par putt to the right and tapped in for bogey, dropping him to 9-under.
At the 18th, Åberg found the left fairway bunker off the tee. And at this point, as Rose had posted 11-under with a birdie at the closing hole, Ludvig needed to hole his second just to have a chance to get into a playoff.
But that certainly didn't happen, as he didn't even get out of the bunker, his approach attempt traveling just four yards. He finally escaped with this third but found more sand as his shot sailed into the right greenside bunker.
He still failed to find the putting surface with his fourth, hitting over the green, but finally made it on in five and two-putted for a triple bogey, leaving himself at 6-under, which was ultimately good enough for solo seventh.
McIlroy and Rose, of course, went to a playoff after tying at 11-under, which Rory won, with Patrick Reed (-9), Scottie Scheffler (-8), Sungjae Im (-7), and Bryson DeChambeau (-7) all finishing ahead of Åberg.
Now, it's not as if Åberg didn't collect a nice paycheck on Sunday, as he won $703,500. But when you look at the payouts for the six players ahead of him, which you can view below, it's clear to see that he left a lot of cash on the table with those mistakes on the final two holes.
- 1. Rory McIlroy - $4,200,000
- 2. Justin Rose - $2,268,000
- 3. Patrick Reed - $1,428,000
- 4. ScottieScheffler - $1,008,000
- T5. Sungjae Im - $798,000
- T5. Bryson DeChambeau - $798,000
Even if he didn't make a birdie on 17 or 18 to get into the playoff and just made two pars, Åberg would have taken solo third, giving him an extra $724,500. And had he gotten into that playoff, who knows what would have happened?
Again, Åberg still made a lot of money on Sunday. And it's also worth saying again that he will win The Masters someday. But his mini-meltdown was brutal to watch. That said, though, one has to believe he'll take that experience, learn from it, and come back to Augusta next year ready to roll.