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Ludvig Aberg strengthened his chances of becoming the PGA Tour Player of the Year after claiming the RSM Classic 2023 on Sunday, November 17. Aberg holed ten birdies and one bogey to shoot a consecutive 9-under 61 in the fourth round at Seaside Golf Course. After four rounds, he aggregated at 29-under, four more than Mackenzie Hughes, to claim his first-ever title on the PGA Tour.
With the RSM Classic triumph, the 24-year-old Swede has come a step closer to the Rookie Tour of the Year title. Since turning professional in June this year, he has won the Omega European Masters, was part of the winning European Ryder Cup squad, and now has a PGA Tour title under his belt.
In 11 starts this year, Aberg has only missed one cut and made four top-ten finishes, including one playoff loss. However, he still faces stiff competition from Eric Cole, who also had a great week. Cole finished joint third at the event, seven strokes behind Aberg.
Eric Cole is more than ten years older than the Swede but is also putting up a tough fight. After earning a PGA Tour card in 2022, he has performed immensely well this season despite not winning a title. In 37 PGA Tour starts, he has made 27 cuts, including seven top-ten finishes. He made cuts in both the majors he participated in and finished T15 at the PGA Championship.
Cole finished runner-up at the ZOZO Championship and fell short of the title in the playoff at the Honda Classic. In the FedEx Fall, his consistency is beyond impressive as he has recorded four top-four finishes in the last five starts. He is 43rd in the FedEx standings and 48th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The 35-year-old American was also the only rookie to make it to the BMW Championship, the second event of the three FedEx Cup Playoff events. He finished T25 and is exempt from all the Signature events in the 2024 season.
Taylor Montgomery and Ben Griffin also had stellar seasons but they are still behind in the race. Montgomery made 23 cuts in 32 starts this season including five top tens. The third-place finish at last year's Fortinet Championship was his best performance this season.
Griffin missed 12 cuts in 37 starts this season and his three top-ten finishes included a playoff defeat at the Sanderson Farms Championship last month.
Until last week, the PGA Tour Rookie Player of the Year belonged solely to Cole, but now with Aberg earning his maiden title, the chances have shrunk a bit. However, it is still close, and we can only wait to see who eventually wins it.
Ludvig Aberg's 2022-23 season explored
Here's a look at Ludvig Aberg's results in 2022-23:
- Arnold Palmer Invitational - T24
- Valspar Championship - T61
- RBC Canadian Open - T25
- Travelers Championship - T24
- Rocket Mortgage Classic - T40
- John Deere Classic - T4
- Genesis Scottish Open - CUT
- 3M Open - T64
- Wyndham Championship - T14
- Ryder Cup* - 1
- Sanderson Farms Championship - PT2
- Shriners Children's Open - T13
- World Wide Technology Championship - T10
- The RSM Classic - 1
