Fully healthy Ludvig Åberg readies for title defense at The RSM Classic

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Ludvig Åberg hadn’t taken many weeks off since turning professional last summer, so when his surgeons prescribed a month of mandatory downtime this fall, Åberg wasn’t exactly disappointed.

But as the Swede sat in front of assembled media Tuesday at The RSM Classic, nearly two months since his last PGA TOUR start, he was more than happy to be back.

“Last couple weeks I've been itching to get out here,” said Åberg. “It's been a long time coming it feels like.”

It was a worthwhile break, fixing an issue that was a long time in the making. Åberg will defend his maiden TOUR title at The RSM Classic this week, his first start since he underwent successful left knee surgery in September to repair a torn medial meniscus. The world No. 5 discussed the details surrounding his injury and the rehab publically for the first time Tuesday.

“I felt early in the year this must have been somewhere around April, May, something like that it started to act up a little bit,” said Åberg, who withdrew from the Wells Fargo Championship in May and played the PGA Championship with a knee brace. “I didn't really know what it was. We got it checked out and then I still felt fine, so it didn't hinder me in terms of my training or my play.

“I knew that I needed to have surgery at some point, but I also felt like I could last throughout the season, obviously playing through the (FedExCup) Playoffs, and then after the Playoffs was a good time to kind of deal with it and get it done,” Åberg said.

Åberg said the injury kept him from being able to squat and effectively read putts. His knee continued to swell up throughout the season, to the point it “shut down” his quad, weakening the muscle. Åberg maintained he was still able to perform at a high level, which made him comfortable enough to wait until the fall to do the surgery.

“It was the first time I hadn't been able to play golf from that regard, so it was a little bit weird,” he said. “Didn't really know how to handle it. Ultimately I felt like I made the right choice in terms of the timing and how we handled it. If I were to do it again, I would do the same thing.”

Åberg underwent the surgery on Sept. 5, a week after the TOUR Championship. He didn’t touch a golf club for a month, spending the first two weeks post-surgery in New York City going through rehab and exploring the city with his girlfriend. Åberg started hitting pitches and wedges in early October and was playing full rounds of golf within a few weeks. He formally committed to The RSM Classic last Thursday, posting a swing video on social media with the caption, “Reeeeally looking forward to @thersmclassic next week.”

“I feel 100 percent, otherwise I wouldn't be here,” Åberg said.

It’s a friendly return for Åberg, who broke through at Sea Island Golf Club a year ago with his maiden TOUR title. Åberg set the tournament record a year ago, posting 29-under 253.

It was the culmination of a stellar rookie year and Åberg maintained that momentum in his first full season as a member. He notched eight top 10s in 19 starts, including three runner-up showings. He finished No. 16 on the season-long FedExCup, finalized after the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club.

The rising Swedish star contended for 2023 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, falling to Eric Cole, despite playing essentially a half-season after completing his college career at Texas Tech University and finishing No. 1 on the PGA TOUR University Ranking to earn automatic PGA TOUR membership. Åberg contended early and often, winning on the DP World Tour and representing the European Team at the Ryder Cup before his maiden win at The RSM Classic in November.

Refreshed and fully healthy for the first time in months, Åberg is ready to defend a PGA TOUR title for the first time.

“It's a place that I really like coming to and the golf has been great to me so far, so looking forward to keeping that up,” Åberg said.