Ludvig Åberg has played Harbour Town Golf Links like a seasoned veteran, not a 24-year-old rookie.
He carded a 5-under 66 for the second straight day on Friday, sitting at 10-under through 36 holes at the RBC Heritage. The Swedish phenom sits one stroke behind Collin Morikawa, Sepp Straka, Tom Hoge, and J.T. Poston going into the weekend.
“All we’re trying to do on this golf course is [hit] fairways and greens. [They] add up,” Åberg assessed.
“That’s what we’re trying to do, give ourselves plenty of looks all the time. If you happen to sneak one in closer, that’s great.”
Åberg has done that beautifully to this juncture, ranking first in strokes gained off the tee and in strokes gained approaching the green at the midway point.
But he has also remained disciplined on this Pete Dye layout, which features tree-lined fairways, small and tricky greens, as well as plenty of hazards.
“Obviously, I came out a little bit hotter yesterday than I did today,” Åberg added.
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“But we didn’t try to force anything. We stayed very disciplined—me and [my caddie] Joe [Skovron]—to our targets, and ended up finishing birdie-birdie, which was kind of a bonus on those two holes, but obviously very pleased with the way we’ve been playing.”
In addition to making birdies on the 17th and 18th holes, Åberg made birdies on the tricky little par-4 13th and the par-5 15th, elevating him up the leaderboard and into the mix.
The birdie at 13 came from 13 feet, while the one at 15 happened to be a two-putt. Åberg launched a 7-wood over the trees on the corner of the dogleg left to 14 feet away, but could not convert the eagle opportunity.
Still, he picked up a couple more shots on 17 and 18, thanks to his deadly precision with his irons. His last two birdies came from a combined eight feet.
“All you’re trying to do is hit the center of the green most times, and if you get a good look, that’s great,” Åberg added.
“But I think it also comes down to not really trying to force anything, just trying to keep hitting good shots. I feel like I’m swinging it the way—very close to the way I want to.”
If Åberg keeps swinging like this, he surely will contend. But if he can continue to remain this disciplined, anything is possible, which should put the rest of the PGA Tour on notice.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
