Smilin’ Swedish stud Ludvig Åberg steals Scottish Open lead; has control at midway point

Ludvig Åberg has plenty of reason to smile at the Genesis Scottish Open.

For the second consecutive day, the young Swede signed for a 6-under 64 and has a one-shot lead over Frenchman Antoine Rozner at 12-under-par. Åberg did not make a single bogey on Friday, instead holing six birdies to seize control of the championship at the midway point.

‘It’s been very nice. I felt like we had a very good game plan and executing the shots. We try not to force anything,” Åberg said after his round.

“We try to have a lot of acceptance when we play and make sure that we put good swings on it and give ourselves plenty of chances, which I felt like we’ve done very well.”

Despite being only 24 years old, Åberg already looks like a seasoned PGA Tour veteran. He plays like one, too, and has the mentality of a multi-major champion.

Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour via Getty Images

“No one is going to play perfect golf for 72 holes,” Åberg added.

‘I think [a bad break or lousy shot is] going to happen to everyone at some point, and whenever that happens, you’ve just got to try to deal with it the best you can, and all I can do is try to put good swings on it, and then hopefully the decision that we’ve made is the right one and try to hit it again when we find it.”

Åberg would likely have a more considerable advantage if not for a terrible break he suffered midway through Thursday’s first round. On the par-4 8th hole, Åberg struck what looked like a terrific approach shot into the green. But his ball ricocheted off Collin Morikawa’s ball, which sat 11 feet from the hole. Åberg’s ball bounced dead right, settling below the green, while Morikawa’s shot dead left.

Under the rules of golf, Morikawa could replace his ball, while Åberg could not. Instead of having a makeable birdie putt, Åberg faced a challenging third shot and could not save par. Thus, he made a bogey in what was one of the worst breaks of the season. Morikawa, meanwhile, drained his birdie attempt.

But that is one example of how Åberg has learned to ‘accept’ during a tournament. Lousy breaks happen to every golfer on any course.

“Once those things happen, I can’t do anything about it,” Åberg said Thursday.

“All I try to do is just make good swings, and I did.”

He made plenty of good swings on Friday, which explains why he raced past the other contenders to steal the lead. So, no wonder Åberg was grinning from ear to ear all day.

And yet, he has been in this position before. Åberg held the 36-hole lead at last month’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, but a triple bogey on the 13th hole ended his chances on Saturday. Avoiding a mistake like that at the Genesis Scottish Open will be imperative if he wants to nab the biggest PGA Tour win of his career to date. But if he keeps swinging like he does, keeps smiling like he does, and keeps that same attitude, all signs point to him doing so.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.