Ludvig Aberg, again, wasn’t able to get a victory over the line after being in contention late.
The PGA Championship was there for the taking for the young Swedish star, but he was outduelled by Aaron Rai in his pairing at Aronimink, leaving another opportunity begging.
The 26-year-old was predicted as a multiple-time major winner when he finished second at The Masters in his first appearance. But since then, he’s shown that he lacks the mentality to win these big events, wilting under the bright lights the moment he comes into contention.
But in his pairing with Aberg on the final day, Rai showed him the simple change he can make that would bring his game to the next level.
Aaron Rai showed Ludvig Aberg he must change his putter
After winning the Wannamaker Trophy, Rai became the fifth major winner in the last six majors to use a TaylorMade Spider putter. This mallet putter is used by all the world’s best putters, and it took Scottie Scheffler’s game to the next level when he switched to it.
It is blatantly obvious that Aberg must follow suit and put this club in his bag. He led the entire field at the PGA Championship from tee to green, gaining 2.85 strokes to the field with incredible ball striking.
What let him down was his performance on the greens. It was the only area where he lost strokes to the field, which simply isn’t going to get it done at a major championship.
As it was for Scheffler, it’s the clear weakness in his game, and he must recognize this before yet another major championship passes him by.
What switching to a Spider putter did for Scottie Scheffler
For years, Scheffler’s historically elite ball-striking was undercut by poor performances on the greens. He dominated from tee to green, as Aberg did at the PGA, but he ranked 162nd in Strokes Gained: Putting on the PGA Tour in 2023.
On Rory McIlroy’s recommendation, Scheffler switched to the TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet putter, and the impact was instant.
Scheffler was transformed from a vulnerable frontrunner into an unstoppable force and an all-time great. He won that very first week at Bay Hill, followed it up immediately with a victory at The Players Championship, and went on to capture a second Masters Green Jacket.
By making this change, Scheffler turned his short-game liability into an asset. The Spider putter ignited a legendary run, allowing Scheffler to become undisputedly the best player on the planet, and Aberg must learn from this and do the same.
