Rory McIlroy astounded by Players Championship star’s behaviour | Golf | Sport

Rory McIlroy said he admires “pretty much everything” about Ludvig Aberg as the Swedish prodigy narrowly missed out on Players Championship glory. The 26-year-old held the advantage at TPC Sawgrass after 54 holes, sitting at 13-under-par with a three-stroke cushion over his opponents.

Aberg boasts two PGA Tour victories, including a signature tournament in the shape of the 2025 Genesis Invitational. However, Cameron Young stole the lead and the eventual win from under his nose as he dropped to nine-under-par on Sunday. The American triumphed at Sawgrass with a 13-under-par final score. Despite Aberg’s disappointment in Florida, McIlroy has been impressed by the world No. 21’s rise over the past three years. Regarding his own performance, the Masters champion endured a disappointing week in Ponte Vedra Beach after being hindered by a back complaint.

Following an even-par week that saw him finish T46, world No. 2 McIlroy expressed his admiration for Aberg. “Pretty much everything,” he responded when questioned about what he admires in the Swede.

“His pace of play. Once he gets over the ball, he’s really decisive. He’s obviously got a beautiful swing. Looks like he plays with a lot of freedom.

“Watching a little bit of the golf yesterday afternoon, he’s always smiling out there. He looks like he finds a lot of joy in playing the game, and it looks like he and Joe [Skovron], his caddie, always have good conversations and a good laugh out there, and that’s important, as well.”

McIlroy gained a deeper insight into Aberg’s character during the two Ryder Cups they’ve competed in together, and the Northern Irishman was impressed by his team-mate’s mindset.

“He’s pretty unflappable. He’s so laid-back, like, ridiculously laid-back, which is a really good thing, especially in environments like the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy added.

“I think at 36 and sort of having a 17, 18-year career, it’s easy to be a bit more laid back than it is when you’re 26. He’s only really three years into his pro career. I certainly wasn’t as laid back at that point as he is, but it is very admirable.”

Aberg admitted nerves played a part in his loss at the Players Championship but believes there were good things about his game over the tournament. He said: “Obviously really disappointed. I felt like I was striking it okay early on.

“Got away with a few things, especially [on] No 4, kind of left miss. But overall pleased with the week. Obviously today the back nine was not good, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

“It got away from me quick there. Yeah, it was just poor swings. I felt like I’ve had that sort of seven-wood right miss a few times this week, on No 4 especially twice, and it came up on 11 as well.

“Then tried to press a little bit on 12, hitting driver, where sometimes you can play 3-wood a little short of that bunker. Yeah, obviously really disappointed. I would have loved to be standing where Cameron is standing right now. But overall I still felt like I saw some nice things in my game this week.”