Weekly PGA Recap: Ludvig Goes Big

This article is part of our Weekly PGA Recap series.

Three weeks ago at Torrey Pines, Ludvig Aberg grabbed the first-round lead with a blistering 9-under 63. Granted, it was on the North course and not the harder South, but Aberg was well positioned to win the Farmers Insurance Open.

Two days later he got sick with the flu, stumbled home with a Sunday 79 to tie for 42nd and had to withdraw from Pebble Beach the following week.

Healthy again, and back at Torrey Pines again, Aberg made the most of his second chance, birdieing the 18th hole at Torrey Pines South to win the relocated Genesis Invitational by a single stroke over Maverick McNealy.

This time, with all four rounds at the harder South track, Aberg opened with a 74. But he went on to spin two 66s in the next three days, including Sunday, for his second career PGA Tour title. He birdied four of the final six holes to wrest the title from McNealy. Along the way, Aberg scored his first Tour hole in one.

"I felt like I had a good chance of winning that tournament but wasn't really feeling like myself the last couple days," Aberg said. "I don't like pulling out of tournaments, but I felt like I had to at Pebble just to give myself some time to recover and be ready for this one."

The Tiger Woods-hosted Genesis Invitational had to move from Riviera Country Club because of the disastrous Los Angeles wildfires. There weren't too many in this field who had also played the Farmers. Had they known the Genesis would move, maybe more would've played the Farmers. So even though Aberg got sick, he did get to see Torrey Pines in almost identical conditions to this week.

Aberg had started the season with a tie for fifth at the Sentry. So, when healthy, he's got a top-5 and a win, both in loaded fields in signature events.

After winning the RSM Classic to close 2023, Aberg's 2024 was seen by some as a disappointment since he didn't win. But he was runner-up at the Masters, Pebble Beach and the BMW Championship playoff events and ended the year at No. 5 in the world.

How is that not a good year?

Still only 25 years old and now up to No. 4 OWGR – and also fully healthy, not only after the flu but following knee surgery last fall – Aberg's arrow is pointing straight up.

"Yeah, it's really nice getting off to a good start. Obviously, the season is long, but all we try to do is play as good as we can and prepare as good as we can for every tournament. … Getting a win means a lot to me and that's -- I was pretty bummed I didn't get to win a tournament last year, but it's really nice to be able to do it again. It's almost addicting to walk down those last couple holes and just want to do it again."

It would surprise no one if Aberg did it once again, or multiple times, in 2025. 

MONDAY BACKSPIN

Maverick McNealy
McNealy shot the round of the tournament with a closing 8-under 64 to come within an eyelash of his second career win and second in the span of eight Tour events. He won the RSM Classic in November to close out the 2024 season. Torrey Pines and Sea Island, where the RSM is played, could not be more different, so this bodes enormously well for McNealy developing into an all-course player. Suddenly, he is up to No. 14 in the world.
 
Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler shot himself out of the tournament with a third-round 76. But in true Scheffler fashion, he improved by 10 strokes on Sunday to zoom up the leaderboard and tie for third. Paired with Rory McIlroy, Scheffler won the duel by six shots. Last week in Phoenix, Scheffler ranked 65th in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green. This week, he ranked second.

Patrick Rodgers
The 54-hole leader was bidding for his first career PGA tour title in 287th start.  He wasn't terrible, but 1-under 71 was not going to get it done with others going so much lower. He tied for third. Rodgers also held the 54-hole lead at Torrey eight years ago only to shoot 72 and be overtaken by Jon Rahm. Still, there's a lot to like about his game right now. Rodgers is playing in signature events and is up to No. 75 in the world, one spot off his career best.

Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay had slipped to No. 15 in the world entering the week, but a tie for fifth moved him back up to 12th. He also was T5 at the Amex last month. That may sound good, but Cantlay has not been in contention to win for some time. While top-5s are a good ceiling for many players, not so for a player the caliber of Cantlay, who remains winless for more than two years now.

Tommy Fleetwood
In just his second PGA Tour start of 2025, Fleetwood tied for fifth. It makes perfect sense for a player who has been exceptional in U.S. Opens (three career top-5s) to excel on a course in the Open rotation.

Tony Finau
Seems hard to believe, but the former top-10 player had slipped to 30th in the world entering the week. He tied for fifth to inch back up to 26th. It's been a decent start to 2025 for Finau, who in four prior starts this season had two top-15s and two missed cuts.

Denny McCarthy
While not having played as long as Rodgers has, McCarthy is also winless and opened the day right behind him in second place. Like Rodgers, McCarthy could muster only a 71 on Sunday and dipped to T5 on the leaderboard. This was the 194th career start for McCarthy and you'd surely think he'd win in his next 80-90 starts. But we probably felt that way about Rodgers a few years back too, or even Sunday morning.

Daniel Berger
Berger got into the field after a T2 last week at the WMPO landed him in the Aon Swing 5. He made the most of the opportunity with a solo 12th. It's been years on the injury comeback trail for Berger. Might he really be returning to relevance? He's inching closer to the top-50 OWGR at No. 53.

Andrew Novak
Novak keeps showing he belongs. He tied for 13th, matching his result at Pebble Beach two weeks ago. Three weeks ago right here at Torrey, he finished solo third.

Michael Kim
Like Berger, Kim got into the field via the Aon Swing 5 and delivered with a tie for 13th, moving him to a career-best 80th OWGR. Kim is among a small number of players in this field who also will be playing in the upcoming Mexico Open.

Rory McIlroy
In a dream pairing with Scheffler on Sunday, albeit far off the lead, McIlroy was six shots worse than the world No. 1. He tied for 17th. Putting was the big issue for him this week, ranking 49th in the field and losing almost four strokes.

Rickie Fowler
There was a bit of an outcry that Fowler got a sponsor invite. It's true he has not played well for some time. But he's still a popular figure on Tour and  showed he belonged with a tie for 39th.

MISSED CUTS

The cut eliminated 18 players, reducing the weekend to 54. Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth, Sungjae Im, Sepp Straka, Max Homa, Sepp Straka, Gary Woodland. Hovland has played three times on Tour in 2025 without a top-20. He also missed the cut in Dubai. … Spieth MCed following a T4 at Phoenix; Torrey Pines doesn't seem like the best fit, so nothing of concern here. … Same for Im and Straka, both of whom have been playing well, even though has been a great track for Im. … Homa continues to be a mess. … Woodland missed his first cut of the year following three straight top-25s.