For the players, the two leads have an interesting past – and present
As Ludwig Aberg walked up TPC Sawgrass’ 18th fairway Saturday evening, he looked at the leaderboard and turned to his man, Joe Skovron. Up front, a double bogey on the final hole from Cameron Young had tied things up; suddenly there was a new name in second place.
“Looks like we’re playing Michael tomorrow, which will be fun,” Aberg told Skovron.
That “Michael” is Michael Thorbjornsen, who begins Sunday’s final round at the Players Championship at 10 under par. That will take him three times off the pace of fellow player Ludwig Aberg. They will go out at 1:40 pm local time, the second to last time of the tournament. You don’t have to work hard to find a connection between the two. At 26 (Aberg) and 24 (Thorbjornsen), they are among the Tour’s youngest stars. They’re also among the tallest, most athletic, hardest-hitting – and most low-key. They both wear Adidas, too. But the couple is very interesting for two reasons – the past again their gift.
Let’s start at the beginning: these two go way back.
“We went back to junior golf. We played a lot of college golf together,” Thorbjornsen said after his third round. “I love playing golf with him. He was one of the guys in college I looked up to, even though he’s a year older than me.”
In 2023, Aberg, who attended Texas Tech, became the first PGA Tour University winner. In 2024, Thorbjornsen, who went to Stanford, was the second.
“When we were both in college it was like we played every tournament together,” said Aberg.
Now they will add a post-college tournament chapter. But they’ve played a lot of college sports, because they’re neighbors. Both Aberg and Thorbjornsen live in this part of northern Florida and play TPC Sawgrass regularly, sometimes together – either at this week’s course or at nearby Dye’s Valley.
“I’m not sure how many people know I live here,” Thorbjornsen said, shrugging off the idea that he, a native New Englander, would have a local following. “I’m still playing in Wellesley, Massachusetts, when they announced my name, but I live 15, 20 minutes north of here.”
Aberg, who is from Sweden, was a bit bought into the local guy’s narrative.
“In the US, that’s where I live. That’s where I spend all my time when I’m here, when I’m at home. So, yeah, I spend a lot of time outside the TPC practicing, just a normal Tuesday when I’m at home.” Especially, a win on Sunday would be a big thing because it’s the Players Championship. But it can mean something more because it’s at home.”
Both actors sing about the occasion; based on how they played this week, the feeling is unanimous.
“Even before I moved here, when I played the event I loved it,” Aberg said.
“It’s also good to play holes 16, 17, 18 – just look at these iconic holes,” said Thorbjornsen. “The whole process is unbelievable.”
There is a subtext to their choice of accommodation, which represents a change in the evolving world of professional golf. An entire generation of professionals was drawn to Jupiter, Fla., following in Tiger Woods’ footsteps. Other secondary sites have emerged – Scottsdale, Ariz.; Sea Island, Ga.; Dallas, Tx.; among others – but Jupiter is in the middle. It is interesting, then, that the two top young professionals have been based for five hours on the beach. It’s not random. It’s where the PGA Tour is based and it’s home to TPC Sawgrass, whose facilities are great and getting better. They are by no means the first; pros from Vijay Singh to Jim Furyk to Fred Funk to Cameron Smith have called this place home. But it is noteworthy that in recent years more and more new professionals have taken the place, these two leaders among them.
“This is the lesson right here,” said Thorbjornsen, explaining his reasoning. “Not only is the PGA Tour headquarters in the area, it really helps. I know a lot of young guys coming out of college like to move to the area. So, it’s a great place.”
What about Aberg?
“I just loved it. The first time I was here I played the Junior Players in 2018, 2017, and I remember saying at that time it’s a really nice place, and I knew the golf was really good,” he said. “I enjoy a little change of season, not 85 degrees year round like it is in South Florida. Then I naturally knew a lot of people here even before I moved. Well, at the end of the day, it was a very easy decision.”
No matter how big the practice rounds or cash games are, there’s no way they’ll be able to replicate the pressure of Sunday’s finals in front of a sellout crowd. But at least they will know their way around the locker room – and around their playing partner.
Aberg has had a very successful career so far. He played in the majors and won Ryder Cups. Thorbjornsen, on the other hand, is hunting for his first tour victory. This would be a good place to start. Even the player next to him will know that he should not be taken lightly.
“He’s a good guy, a good player, and he’s going to come out excited to play tomorrow,” Aberg said. “He’s going to come out hot and I’m going to have to respond and play good golf.”
“>
