Nick Faldo claims LIV Golf's top target who has already rejected offer has 'best swing ever'

Ludvig Aberg has been a professional golfer for less than a year, but the Swedish sensation’s stunning rise to the top of the game has been summed up by an incredible compliment from Sir Nick Faldo.

The 24-year-old made his pro debut in June 2023 in the Canadien Open and he has rapidly asserted himself as one of the best players on the planet, picking up victories on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, finishing second at The Masters last week in his first major championship appearance, and playing a pivotal role in Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph in Rome last year.

Aberg has climbed to No.7 in the Official World Golf Ranking, and he has done it in style, with a graceful swing and a rare brand of flair. He sits fourth the the FedEx Cup standings, behind only the imperious Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark and Xander Schauffele, and it is safe to say six-time major champion Faldo is a huge admirer of the Swede.

Aberg is just one shot off the lead at the midway point of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town in Hilton Head Island, and he wowed a sizeable crowd following his pairing with Rory McIlroy with a sensational approach shot to the par-five fifth in round one on Thursday.

From 272 yards, Aberg drilled a two-iron inside 10 feet and converted the opportunity with the flat stick to climb further up the leaderboard. Faldo responded to a clip of the shot that was posted on social media, saying: “Is this the best golf swing you’ve ever seen or what? Plane perfection!”

High praise indeed for a player seemingly destined to achieve greatness in the years to come, but his story could have been very different had he accepted a lucrative offer from LIV Golf while he was still in college at Texas Tech. In 2022, Aberg turned down a two-year deal worth £2million plus prize money to turn pro and join the breakaway tour.

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Sir Nick Faldo is a huge fan of Ludvig Aberg

“There were a number of red flags, which is not good,” Aberg told Eurosport [via GolfDigest] in December, explaining his decision to reject LIV’s offer 18 months previously. “We realized that I could potentially burn a lot of bridges, and I wasn’t interested in that. When I look back, I am very confident in my decision. I will never chase money; what I do is compete. I did the right thing.

“I want to play against the best, because I am a competitive person and like to compete against the best players. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that at the moment, it’s a bit more fragmented.

“When I look at the PGA Tour and the competitions there, there is so much history around all the competitions. And that’s what I like, that’s what I go for. But then you have to respect everyone’s decisions.”