Swedish rookie Ludvig Aberg caps rapid rise by getting captain's pick for Europe's Ryder Cup team

Ludvig Aberg had a big reputation from his amateur career. He clearly had the game, too.

Still, Europe captain Luke Donald needed to see the 23-year-old Swede up close if he was going to make him a pick for the Ryder Cup. So, just one month after Aberg turned professional, Donald played the first two rounds with him at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on the PGA Tour in early July.

“I was blown away,” Donald said of a young player who delivered one final flourish in the Swiss mountains on Sunday to ensure he’d make the transition from the amateur ranks to the Ryder Cup quicker than anyone in history.

A day after surging to victory in the European Masters under intense pressure, Aberg capped his rapid rise in just three months as a pro by earning one of Donald’s six picks for the matches against the United States outside Rome from Sept. 29-Oct. 1.