Breakfast Ball #58: Ludvig Continues European PGA Tour Winning Streak

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In This Week’s Newsletter:

Ludvig bounces back to win the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines

In most Ryder Cup years, the U.S. team boasts a lineup of stars who have dominated on tour, making them the clear favorites on paper to overpower the Europeans. Meanwhile, Team Europe typically relies on spirit and teamwork to overcome the Americans’ undeniable talent. However, 2025 might tell a different story.

Ludvig Åberg became the third European in a row to win on the PGA Tour with a victory at the Genesis Invitational by one shot ahead of Maverick McNealy. Just 3 weeks ago, Åberg looked in control of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, shooting a 63 to lead by two after day one. Unfortunately, the Swede battled a virus throughout the weekend and could not maintain his performance as he stumbled to a T43 finish. With the Genesis Invitational moved from Rivieria Country Club to Torrey Pines due to the fires in L.A., Ludvig had a chance to get some retribution in San Diego.

Entering the final round, Åberg was two shots behind overnight leader Patrick Rodgers, who was looking for his first PGA Tour victory in 258 starts. Two early birdies for Åberg were offset by bogeys on the 4th and 5th holes thanks to a wayward drive and a 3-putt. Meanwhile, American Maverick McNealy was setting Torrey Pines ablaze. He was 9-under through 13 holes and two clear of the field, before playing the final 5 holes in +1, opening the door for challengers.

Ludvig burst through the opening with birdies on 13, 14, and 15 to tie the lead before pars on 16 and 17. Looking for the second and most significant win of his PGA Tour career, Åberg seemed completely in control. His first title was at the RSM Classic, a Fall PGA Tour event with a weak field of players. However, this was a signature event with the Tour’s best challenging for the trophy. It did not seem to bother the young Swede. Ludvig pummeled a 317-yard drive down the center of the fairway, fired a 7-wood to the back of the green, and nailed a 6-foot birdie putt to win the tournament by one.

The big question is where this win can take Ludvig. He clearly has a swing that could result in countless major titles. However, as we know from many talented youngsters down the years, golf rarely cares about your talent. “It means a lot. This is the best feeling in golf and to be able to do what I did today is definitely going to help me going forward in the future,” he said.

The sky is the limit for Ludvig.

Other Results:

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 In typical Tommy Fleetwood fashion, he quietly finished in T5 after starting the week with a 75

• 🫠 Rory McIlroy was in a position to win the tournament after Friday’s round, just two strokes off the lead. However, he lost 6.88 strokes putting over the weekend, the worst round 3 and 4 putting performance of his career to finish in T17

Other news and results from around the golfing world

Joaquin Niemann won LIV Golf Adelaide by three shots ahead of his teammate Carlos Ortiz. Niemann entered the final round three strokes behind the leaders but shot a bogey-free 65 to take the win. Fireballs GC, a mostly Spanish team captained by Sergio Garcia, won the team title by six shots ahead of Legion XIII.

Over 100,000 fans attended the event over the three days in South Australia, and LIV has reached an agreement to keep the tournament in the region until at least 2031. This news comes amid increased rumors that a deal will soon be struck to bridge the gap between golf’s best players. Adam Scott and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan met US President Donald Trump last week to push forward the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s deal with the PGA Tour. It has recently been under scrutiny from antitrust regulators in the US who believe the deal could create a monopoly. They are not exactly wrong.

Patrick Reed joined in on the fun at LIV’s event, getting my shot of the week for his hole in one at LIV’s “watering hole” in Adelaide.

In more merger talk, McIlroy weighed in with his thoughts on the situation: “I’ve been on the record saying this a lot, like we’re playing for a $20 million prize fund this week. That would have never happened if LIV hadn’t have come around," he said at Torrey Pines. "If people are butt-hurt or have their feelings hurt because guys went or whatever, like who cares? Let’s move forward together and let’s just try to get this thing going again and do what’s best for the game.”

Trivia Corner

Last week we asked if you could name two of the four Australian golf courses in the Golf Digest top 100 rankings. It turns out there are 9 Australian golf courses in the rankings, all within the top 50, so you had an even better chance of getting two of the correct answers.

Here they are:

The Metropolitan Golf Club (42), Barnbougle Lost Farm (39), Victoria Golf Club (31), Barnbougle Dunes (30), New South Wales Golf Club (23), Royal Melbourne Golf Club East Course (18), Cape Wickham Golf Links (14), Kingston Heath Golf Club (11), and Royal Melbourne Golf Club West Course (5).

Coming up on tour this week:

• 🇲🇽 The PGA Tour enters a couple of quieter weeks beginning with the Mexico Open

• 🐘 One of the coolest events on the DP World Tour is the Magical Kenya Open

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