Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Åberg are at the top of the leaderboard again. No, Golf Channel and CBS are not replaying The Masters. The duo are now battling it out at the RBC Heritage late in the third round.
Could the golf world witness a new rivalry bloom in front of their faces this week?
The former Texas Tech Red Raider has stolen the hearts of many golf fans. He turned pro last year and has already won on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Åberg was also part of the Ryder Cup team that dominated the Americans in Rome last fall.
Rome was the first time he met Scheffler — ahead of the 9 & 7 beatdown Åberg and Viktor Hovland gave Scheffler and Brooks Koepka.
So, when he went to The Masters and found success, it was not shocking to see him easily handle the pressure of a major championship.
He was the only player to challenge Scheffler on Sunday. Fast forward to the following weekend, and they are in the same positions again atop the leaderboard.
Ryder Cup alum and 6-time DP World Tour winner Peter Hanson, Åberg’s coach, explained after his first major why the fellow Swede will be Scheffler’s biggest challenge, per Golf Monthly.
“I think Scottie knows,” Hanson said. “The next five years, they are going to be fighting it out. You can ask Scottie, but I think he knows, and Ludvig knows. Ludvig knows that Scottie is the one he will have to overtake.”
Scheffler is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the golfing world. Things changed once Scheffler made the putter switch and grew out the beard. He is on quite the run in 2024, but is there anyone who could chase him down?
Åberg may not be as experienced, but he could be the guy. The 24-year-old complimented Scheffler ahead of the RBC Heritage, giving him quite the honor of being his favorite golfer.
Respect is present, but that does not mean healthy competition cannot also be present. These two are silent competitors; they let their games do the talking.
Fans noticed the similarities, and their reactions were priceless. So many have figured out that golf will be about Åberg and Scheffler for the foreseeable future.
Ludvig Aberg is currently the only one inside the top-10 (T1) who is losing strokes putting this week …
… he’s doing the Scottie while going toe-to-toe with new and improved Scottie
— Byron Lindeque (@TheModelManiac) April 20, 2024
Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg.
What a one/two for the PGA Tour
— Joe Public (@JoePublicBet) April 20, 2024
Just turned on Harbour Town, saw Scheffler-Aberg-Morikawa at the top of the leaderboard, and had to make sure this wasn’t a replay of last weekend.
— Will Bardwell (@willbardwell) April 20, 2024
As PGA Tour staff writer Paul Hodowanic points out, this week was not supposed to be about Scheffler. The stacked field should have lapped him after a taxing Masters Tournament, but the 27-year-old said not so fast.
This was supposed to be the week that everyone could get one over on Scottie.
But context and circumstances may truly not matter with Scheffler.
— Paul Hodowanic (@PaulHodowanic) April 20, 2024
Scheffler took a more relaxed approach to preparing for RBC Heritage this week by resting and only practicing the back nine. However, that choice seems fitting as he eyes his fourth win of the season. Could Åberg supersede him and end this streak?
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
