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BElie Foster tells the story of when one of Europe’s hottest golfers played alongside a young Tiger Woods in 1996. “He’s a bit cocky,” was the harsh verdict. Less than a year later, Woods won his first Masters and disappeared over the horizon.
Foster’s own perception appears to be sound. The veteran caddy, currently on Matt Fitzpatrick’s bag, was with Ludwig Oberg when the Swede made his pro debut at the Canadian Open last June. On Friday night, Foster sent a text message to Luke Donald. “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough,” Foster told the European Ryder Cup captain. “This kid is going to be a stallion. Watch his every move.” Donald did all that and more. Oberg made his Ryder Cup debut as Europe regained the trophy in Rome. Donald called his newcomers “generational talent.” Eslov, a town of about 20,000 people near Malmö, has produced world-famous stars.
Adam Scott needed to be confident that Oberg’s appearance at Augusta National in the next few days would be his first major appearance. This illusion has helped the 24-year-old win on both sides of the Atlantic, break into the world’s top 10 and win the Ryder Cup, despite having never played in any of golf’s four major events. produced by facts. It also wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Oberg became the first player since Fuzzy Zoller in 1979 to win the Masters on his debut.
“That’s a lot of growth,” said Scott, who won the Green Jacket Award in 2013. “But I don’t see any weaknesses in his game. No matter what area you look at, he already looks very complete as a player. He’s obviously creative, but at the same time he’s an incredible player. I am learning a very sound foundation.
“It’s very hard to tell who’s going to be successful and who’s not going to be successful. I think there are a lot fewer separators now than there were 20 years ago, but when a player like Ludwig comes along, it’s like, ‘I can’t miss it.’ ” you would think. He has all the ingredients to play at Augusta. He has all the qualities to play anywhere. ”
Scott rightly admits that getting into a US university was far less of a gamble for Oberg than it was when he left Queensland to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in the late 1990s. He had great success at Texas Tech. Oberg’s college coach, Greg Sands, also has a good history with the Swedish golfer.
“The good reputation of our university with the Swedish federation probably helped Ludwig,” Sands says. “It ended up being a choice between us and Arizona State University. He visited both and felt he was the best fit for us. At the time, we had a Norwegian He also believed that the weather here was going to be even more difficult.Certainly, we all felt that his decisions were in a better direction. The funding model used for golf scholarships for Swedish players means they are less likely than other players to drop out of university before completing their degree. .
Oberg previously attended the sports-specialized Filbornaskoran boarding school in Helsingborg. “The players there are so mature it’s like they’re already in college,” Sands said. “So it’s not that much of a culture shock to come here and stay in dorms and stuff like that. The students at that school want to do their best, too. They take things very seriously.”
TTo Sands’ credit, he does not claim to have known that Oberg would take the professional golf world by storm. “He always had the physical tools, but with us he quickly figured out all the little things it takes to win,” Sands says. “He knew he had to get better at putting, pitching, and reading the line. He took a very direct approach to his weaknesses and rolled up his sleeves. He was better at making mistakes. He wanted to know where his shortcomings were because he thought it would be a great motivator to become a I don’t know if you want to learn.
“I know this kid is really good and I know he’s going to be successful as a professional player. I’ve told people he’s going to win a major. But he’s not going to adapt right away. There are a lot of good players as well. I might not have expected him to do so much so quickly. I underestimated his ability to get comfortable. He is You can win that major now.”
But there were clear clues as to what would happen next. Oberg has risen to the top of the amateur world rankings. His success at the 2021 Georgia Jones Cup came in inclement weather. Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed are also former winners of this event.
Oberg’s calmness is immediately apparent. So is the pace of his work. His pre-shot routine is one of his fastest in the game. Paul McGinley, the 2014 Ryder Cup European captain, praised Oberg’s “unflinching aura”. McGinley added: “He has a great ‘next shot, next shot, next shot’ mentality. Don’t think too much, just play.” He pulls a club out of his bag and has a quick discussion with his caddy. , from the moment he stands on the ball, takes one look and says bang. There’s a lot to be said about that.
“You can see that he’s in a great situation where he’s not overly influenced by success, he’s doing things at his own pace and he’s enjoying the environment he’s in.”
McGinley believes that only Oberg’s level of ambition will determine how good he can become. Oberg is ruthless. Even in a great 2023, he changed caddies to Joe Skovron, who was with Rickie Fowler when the American rose to prominence a decade ago.
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Oberg visited Augusta National in the aftermath of last month’s Players Championship. He also played there during his freshman year of college. “I just remember being on cloud nine,” Oberg recalls of his first trip. “I’m walking around thinking, ‘What is this place?’ It’s so cool and special. I’m looking forward to playing there again. It’s been in my head that I might come back as a touring pro. , I may not have expected it to happen so quickly. Augusta was on my mind from the moment I qualified.” This is what Swedish dreams are made of.
Oberg’s ambitions clearly do not end with simply replacing him in the Masters field. “I know I’ve grown a lot over the past year, but I also know I have more to give,” he says.
“Obviously, I’m happy with my qualities and abilities. I think that’s the most important thing. I hope I can perform well on that stage and I’d like to see how it goes. But I’m happy with what I’m doing and I don’t try to change it too much from week to week.”
SLowry Hane did not play with Oberg until the practice round the day before the Ryder Cup began. The Irishman was immediately convinced of what he had seen. “He’s a future No. 1 in the world,” Lowry said. “He’s the most impressive golfer I’ve seen since Rory.” [McIlroy]”
Lowry points out that “all the other things” that someone in Oberg’s position has to deal with can be more important than how they hit their tee shot or iron. If Oberg’s career goes as expected, the hype surrounding him will likely bring even more pressure.
“I think he has to take advantage of this momentum right now,” Scott said. “It’s inevitable throughout your career and it’s going to be worse for some people than others. But when you’re running, you have to keep running and keep pushing. There’s nothing stopping him from making the leap and winning a major. He should do it now.
“Being about the same age I was when I won The Players, it was a chance for me to really try for a major. And I just struggled with them. Even though I was critical of myself, it was It all came a little bit easy and in the biggest tournaments they expose all your flaws. So when you look back, you could have pushed yourself more. , had such a hard time believing that you could beat him. That’s not the case here today.”
Henrik Stenson, Oberg’s childhood idol, took his compatriot out to dinner two years ago while on the PGA Tour in San Antonio. While Stenson does not claim to have played a key role in Oberg’s development, he is well-placed to assess the golfer’s potential value to Sweden. “He has a mature head on young shoulders,” Stenson says. “He approaches his own things without being too condescending or too exalted. He keeps himself within his own box and does things his own way.
“We still have a strong tradition in things like hockey, football and other winter sports, so in that sense golf is always kind of knocking on the door a little bit. But it’s all within the sport. It also depends on how dominant he is. If Ludwig becomes as dominant as Bjorn Borg or Ingemar Stenmark or Zlatan. [Ibrahimovic] In golf, why hasn’t he been this big in that sense? But there are a lot of shots he has to hit to get there. ” At Augusta, less is more. This is the latest fascinating test for Oberg.
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