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The RSM Classic is where Ludvig Aberg broke through for his first PGA Tour title last year, the apex of his fast rise to stardom.

Aberg doesn’t need to play this week to maintain his tour eligibility, but after taking most of the fall off to have knee surgery, the Swede is eager to defend his title this week in Sea Island, Ga.

“I’ve had some time off, it’s been quite nice,” Aberg told reporters Tuesday. “I had surgery on my knee, so I had about four weeks off from golf. The first two weeks I did not miss it at all, I’m not gonna lie, but last couple of weeks it’s been itching in my fingers quite a bit. So it’s been nice to get back into practicing, playing a lot more at home.”

“Home” for the 25-year-old Aberg and his girlfriend is now a house in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., near TPC Sawgrass. It’s less than a two-hour drive north to get to Sea Island, where many other professional golfers make their homes.

Less than 18 months ago, Aberg had just finished a successful collegiate career at Texas Tech and received a tour card through the PGA Tour University pathway. He won on the DP World Tour last September, made the European Ryder Cup team and then finished his year by capturing the RSM Classic.

Aberg shot back-to-back rounds of 9-under 61 on Sea Island’s Seaside Course on the weekend to pull away for a four-shot victory.

“Obviously I’ve always liked coming to Sea Island. … It’s a place that I really like coming to and the golf has been great to me so far, so looking forward to keeping that up,” Aberg said.

Aberg hasn’t won a tournament since, but the highlights of his 2024 season included a second-place finish at the Masters and a T2 at the BMW Championship, the penultimate leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

But during the spring, his knee began to act up on him, and he hunkered down and played through the pain. Soon doctors advised him to have surgery, so he went for it the first week after the playoffs in early September. It was his first major surgery, and he didn’t hit balls for about four weeks.

Aberg is the +900 favorite at Fanduel Sportsbook to win the RSM again against a weaker field. Most of the field is ranked nowhere near as high as Aberg’s No. 5 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking; other players are instead focused on finalizing their spots in the top 125 of the FedEx Cup Fall points standings to guarantee eligibility for 2025.

They’ll have to contend with a healthier, stronger and more rested Aberg. He had his surgery and rehab in New York, so he and his girlfriend had an easy time enjoying their time off.

“It’s been nice to have a little break,” Aberg said. “It was probably the first break that I’ve had from golf since my senior year in college, so it was quite nice to kind of reflect a little bit, sit down and not having to go play a tournament at some point.

“Last couple weeks I’ve been itching to get out here. It’s been a long time coming, it feels like.”

–Field Level Media