Ludvig Åberg returns to competition with new Titleist GT2 driver

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Ludvig Åberg, 25, has quickly established himself as one of the world’s best drivers. Now he’s returning to the PGA TOUR with a new driver that could make him even better off the tee.

Åberg is defending his first PGA TOUR title at this week’s The RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Georgia. This week also marks his return to the TOUR after knee surgery. Åberg, who says he’s slow to change clubs, used the time away from competition to test Titleist’s new GT2 driver, which came out earlier this year. The club earned a spot in the bag this week.

Åberg is using a 9-degree GT2 set in the D4 position of the SureFit hosel. The club has a Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X shaft, as well.

Åberg won The RSM Classic in 2023 in record-setting fashion at 29-under par, shooting 61-61 on the weekend to tie the TOUR’s 72-hole scoring record of 253 (Justin Thomas set the mark at the 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii). In his first full season as a pro, Åberg finished 16th in the FedExCup after runner-up finishes at the Masters, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and BMW Championship. He is fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking.

However, Åberg had surgery in early September to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and has not seen competitive action since the TOUR Championship in August.

“Once I had a couple weeks off, I felt it was a good time to kind of incorporate (the GT2) a little bit more in practice and in training,” Åberg said Tuesday at The RSM Classic. “I feel like any club can perform on the range, but I want to see it on the golf course, I want to see what happens when I toe it or heel it a little bit. I felt like these couple weeks that I had it was a good time to do it.”

Åberg had been using a 9-degree Titleist TSR2 driver (also in the D4 setting) since debuting on the PGA TOUR as the No. 1 player in the PGA TOUR University rankings. He is third in Total Driving this season and 12th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee

“Coming from TSR2 during the prototype phase, he had tested a GT2, a GT3 and GT4,” said JJ Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist director of player promotions. “Ludvig's a player who really likes some forgiveness. He's got incredible ball speed, but he's an amazing iron player, so we want to do everything to kind of keep him in play.

“The GT2 is a sweet spot for him, of really good launch and spin, but forgiveness as well, and so that's really powerful for him. He’s different from some players out here. He actually adds a little bit of loft to it, which helps keep his spin up. He wants his miss to be a little spinny that keeps the ball in play so he can really take advantage of how good he is with his irons.”

That’s why Åberg is using the driver in Titleist’s new GT line that is best suited for the everyday player. According to Titleist, the GT2 is “for players who don’t always find the center of the face and need the stability of a high (moment of inertia) driver without sacrificing speed.”

He also is a high-launch player off the tee, ranking second in Apex Height (125’, 8”) this season, while sitting above average in Spin Rate (47th; 2,713 rpm) and launch angle (39th; 11.3 degrees).

Van Wezenbeeck said Åberg tested some of the late GT prototypes about a year ago and offered feedback to Titleist’s R&D team that influenced some of the final designs. That testing also helped Titleist create a driver for him that offered the launch characteristics he prefers.

“We were able to get some feedback from him on just looking for a little bit more spin and kind of build a driver for him that had that little bit extra launch, a little bit extra lift for him that allows him to have a little bit more control and kind of take advantage of the shot shapes he likes to hit,” Van Wezenbeeck said.

Now, as Åberg returns to the PGA TOUR, he could be even better off the tee.