Ludvig Aberg is competing at the Genesis Invitational this week, where he began the third round in T5, and he didn’t do his chances of the second PGA Tour win of his career any harm with an ace on his third hole of the day.
After pars on the first two holes of his third round at Torrey Pines' South Course in pursuit of his first PGA Tour title since the 2023 RSM Classic, Aberg sent the crowd wild at the 140-yard par-3 third.
After opting for a pitching wedge off the tee, his ball landed several feet beyond the hole before spinning back and disappearing into the cup. That was his first hole-in-one on the PGA Tour and it moved him to six-under for the tournament, three behind leader Davis Thompson, who birdied his first hole of the day.
ACE FOR ÅBERG!Ludvig Åberg makes a hole-in-one at the 140-yard par-3 third. 📺 Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/CrBnHD8cqsFebruary 15, 2025
Aberg is having a far better time of it at Torrey Pines this week than he did in his first visit to the San Diego venue in January for the Farmers Insurance Open. On that occasion, he began brilliantly with a round of 63 before a mystery illness took hold and he eventually slumped to T42.
Aberg still hadn’t recovered from the illness the following week, forcing him to withdraw from the Pebble Beach Pro-Am after the first round, meaning this week’s event is his first tournament since recovering from the issue, which he revealed had seen him lose around eight pounds in weight.
Despite his struggles on his first visit to Torrey Pines this year, Aberg admitted after the second round of the Genesis Invitational that he was delighted with the announcement that the tournament would take place at the course after its usual home, Riviera Country Club, couldn’t be used following wildfires in the area last month.
He said: “Ever since the news broke that we were going to come back here, I was thrilled. I love this place, I think it's one of the best golf courses that we play. Yesterday was tough but today was a lot more normal Torrey Pines days I think with the west wind and the sunny skies. Really pleased to be here again.”
Given Aberg’s ace during his third round - the first at the hole since Richy Werenski in the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open - his love for the course will now surely be stronger than ever. Meanwhile, the World No.6's feat also benefits California Rises, a charitable foundation assisting the recovery process following January’s wildfires. Every hole-in-one at the event will see the foundation receive a $10,000 donation.
Aberg's hole-in-one is also the latest in a flurry in the men's elite game in recent weeks. At the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Rory McIlroy made a slam dunk ace on the way to victory while at the same event, Shane Lowry also achieved a hole-in-one. Then, last week, Emiliano Grillo made an ace at the Stadium Hole during the WM Phoenix Open before Patrick Reed sent the Watering Hole wild with an ace at LIV Golf Adelaide.
