Issues didn’t come simple for the sweet-swinging Swedish phenom on Thursday on the RSM Traditional.
In truth, the precise reverse occurred.
Defending champion Ludvig Åberg carded a 3-over 73 in the course of the first spherical, his first aggressive begin since he had knee surgical procedure on a torn meniscus in September.
Remarkably, Åberg started his title protection with a birdie on the par-4 1st, as he caught a wedge from 116 yards to 11 toes away and drained the putt. However then he made uncharacteristic errors. On the par-3 third, he left his method brief and within the sand entice, which led to his first dropped shot of the day. On the subsequent gap, the par-4 4th, Åberg tugged his tee shot into the marsh, which led to his second straight bogey. Then, on the par-3 sixth, with the wind whipping off the fitting, Åberg hit his method lengthy, because it skipped off the again of the inexperienced and down into a group space. He then missed an eight-footer for par.
The 2023 Ryder Cup star shot a 2-over 37 on the entrance 9, then made his greatest blunder of the day on the 406-yard par-4 tenth. He pushed his drive proper into the penalty space. Then, after taking a drop, he fatted his wedge into the entrance proper bunker that protects the inexperienced. He then compounded these errors by hitting a poor sand shot and proceeded to three-putt for a triple-bogey seven from 50 toes away. He all of a sudden sat at 5-over.
“It was laborious. Clearly, it was a tough day,” Åberg mentioned.
“It was plenty of rust, I felt like, however I additionally felt like the great was fairly good, however the dangerous was actually dangerous.
Good on Åberg for preserving it constructive within the face of adversity. However how he performed his last eight holes speaks volumes concerning the 25-year-old star, too. He did so in 2-under, because of a 36-footer he drained on the par-3 twelfth and a two-putt birdie on the par-5 fifteenth. An all-world up-and-down on the par-3 seventeenth saved him at 3-over general.
“There’s some technical issues that I’m engaged on in my swing,” Åberg added.
“I need to, I suppose, load it just a little bit higher, and that’s the place that miss comes with the motive force. Each occasions the place I put myself in bother as we speak, it was off the tee. If I can repair these issues and get just a little bit higher, I believe tomorrow will likely be just a little bit nicer.”
The final time he performed the Plantation Course at Sea Island, he carded a 5-under 67 in spherical one a yr in the past. He then posted 64-61-61 over the ultimate three rounds on the Seaside Course, so the potential for Åberg to make these changes and go low on Friday is actually there.
But, the previous Texas Tech Pink Raider is simply pleased to be again taking part in once more as a result of his knee had bothered him for months earlier than his operation. However now, he’s feeling 100%, and that’s what’s most vital.
“A bit of little bit of every little thing as we speak,” Åberg mentioned.
“However all in all, fairly pleased to be again taking part in golf once more.”
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By means of. Make sure you try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.
