Ludvig Åberg clinches his second PGA TOUR title with a stunning comeback, breaking McNealy’s hopes
Genesis Invitational Winner Ludvig Åberg delivered a ruthless masterclass, seizing victory with a late barrage of birdies that shattered Maverick McNealy’s title dreams at Torrey Pines. The Swedish sensation stormed through the final six holes, erasing a three-shot deficit to claim his second PGA TOUR title in dramatic fashion.
McNealy, who had set a daunting clubhouse target with a sizzling final-round 64, watched in agony as his lead evaporated. His spectacular front-nine 30 put him in command, but a single lapse on the 14th proved fatal. His failure to escape a greenside bunker led to a bogey, cracking open a door that Åberg gleefully kicked down.
The 24-year-old Swede had looked steady but unspectacular for most of the round, turning at two under. Then, like a man possessed, he unleashed a barrage of precision. A crucial par save at the 12th kept his hopes alive before he unleashed a relentless birdie streak on the 13th, 14th, and 15th. The defining moment arrived at the par-five 18th, where he calmly two-putted from 70 feet, sealing the victory at 12 under par.
“It was an absolute grind,” Åberg admitted, elation etched across his face. “I knew I had to go for it, and when that putt dropped on 15, I thought, ‘Right, this is on!’”
McNealy, by contrast, was left stunned. After clawing his way into pole position, his grip on the trophy slipped as Åberg rampaged through the final stretch. “It stings,” McNealy admitted. “I felt like I did everything right, but sometimes golf is just brutal.”
Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, briefly joined the title hunt with a front-nine 31, but his challenge crumbled with a costly bogey on the 11th. He ultimately settled for a share of third at nine under, alongside Patrick Rodgers. England’s Tommy Fleetwood finished in a tie for fifth after a solid 68.
Åberg’s triumph was made all the more memorable by his stunning hole-in-one during round three. A perfect pitching wedge from 140 yards at the par-three third had already made headlines, foreshadowing the unforgettable finish to come.
With this victory, Åberg has cemented his reputation as one of golf’s rising superstars. His fearless charge at Torrey Pines will be remembered as a defining moment in his career, a ruthless reminder that in golf, as in life, fortunes can turn in the blink of an eye.
