THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Ludvig Åberg to the media center here at THE PLAYERS Championship. We'll go right to questions.
Q. After the eagle did you feel like now I can cruise in here; guys are kind of falling apart around me? Or did you feel like there was still going to be some difficulty out there?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, for sure, I think Sawgrass is a golf course where you have to execute and you have to hit fairways and golf shots, and obviously the eagle on 11 was nice, coming off the birdie on 9, and felt like I didn't play amazing but I got a little bit out of it, at least, which was nice, then would have loved to have a little bit of something on 16, 17 and 18. But overall pleased with the way I was playing today in a tough condition.
Q. I know we talk a lot about your pace of play, but I'm just curious if any of the tee shots on this golf course kind of give you pause or make you want to slow down your pace.
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, perhaps. Yesterday we had a slow day on the golf course, we were in a twosome, probably some of the fastest guys on TOUR, and yeah, we had to kind of take our time at times. But yeah, there's certain tee balls where if you play kind of depending where the wind is, you have to really get your lines accurate, and that might take a couple of extra seconds. But overall I feel like I've played here so many times that it's pretty straightforward at this point.
Q. Do you frequently hesitate before like a big shot or big tee shot or anything?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Hesitate?
Q. Yeah.
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, I mean at times, for sure. I definitely have on my second shot on 16 today, where I kind of felt like I had to get a lot out of it. Those are the ones that really annoy me. I would love to have those back. But overall my philosophy is once you're over the ball it's just about hitting it, and that's what I try to do.
Q. Thor talked about how he had looked up to you going back to you guys' college days and even now, and you guys may be playing in the final pairing tomorrow. Wondering what your relationship with him is like and if you're looking forward to taking on that final group?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: I was telling Joe walking up the last hole, I said, it looks like we're playing with Michael tomorrow, which will be fun. He lives in the area too. We play some golf when we're home, and at some point when we were both in college it felt like we played every single tournament together. He's a great guy, good player, and he'll be coming out excited tomorrow to play. He'll be coming out hot and I'm going to have to respond and play some good golf.
Q. What club did you hit on 16?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: I hit a 7-iron.
Q. I'm sure you're happy with a three-shot lead, but do you walk off the course pleased with a three-shot lead or wondering how much you could have stretched it with the closing three holes?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, a little bit of both, I guess. I definitely would have loved to come out of 16, 17 with at least one birdie, and then obviously the 3-putt on 18 kind of stings, annoys me a little bit, but yeah, overall I started the day with a two-shot lead and ended with a three, so that's a positive for sure. But yeah, Sawgrass tomorrow is going to be a challenge. Like I said before, it's all about executing, you're going to get punished if you don't, which is a fun way to play golf.
Q. I don't know what your process is, but a lot of guys don't think about winning. Do you think about winning tomorrow and what this would mean? Obviously you live in the area, you practice here; this would be, I'm assuming, your biggest win?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Oh, yeah, for sure. I think about winning a lot. I think a lot about what it would look like, what it would feel like. I think a lot about the different scenarios that might happen, and I did that in college, I did that when I turned pro and I still do it.
So I think I'm trying to embrace it. I'm trying to be okay with all those things that comes with it, which is why we play golf. We spend so much time practicing, playing, training, preparing, so why wouldn't we think of what it would actually mean to win. So naturally that's what I'm going to do tonight. But does it change anything for me tomorrow? I don't think so.
Q. You contended at Augusta a couple years ago and have played in two Ryder Cups. What have those experiences or how will those experiences help you prepare for a big-time environment for tomorrow?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, for sure I think all those experiences kind of adds up in the memory bank and the experience bank and they're all really cool events, and this is definitely up there. This is definitely the biggest individual tournament on the PGA TOUR, non-major, so it will be a cool experience tomorrow to go out with a lead, which I've never done before, so naturally I'm going to try to soak it in, enjoy it, but at the end of the day, trying to hit as few golf shots as I possibly can.
Q. As much as you say that you would have liked some birdies on those closing holes, I walked with you on the front, and it felt like there were a couple holes where you worked really hard to save par, or the opposite thing where it could have been a little bit worse. Talk me through those first few holes where you were trying to find your groove before you started playing really well.
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, for sure. I had some nice lag putts for par kind of early on, 1, 2, 3. Missed the fairway on 4. I think that's a fantastic golf hole because it's right in front of you but it's still quite hard. When you miss that fairway you try to take your medicine, but yeah, made a good par save on 5, par save on 7 and then after that kind of got into it, but that's the hard part about this golf course too. As soon as you don't really execute the golf shot it gets you in trouble, and that was the case today.
Over a 72-hole golf tournament period you're going to have times where it's not maybe perfect, even if you're playing really well, so that's how I tried to view it. I tried to view it as sort of that was my little stressful struggle period, if you will, and got away with it with an even par.
Q. You're always very calm, cool and collected, but do you think are you going to be nervous tomorrow, and if so, how are you going to cope with that?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, I'll definitely be nervous. I've been nervous the last three days. I've been nervous every time I step on 17 tee box as well. So I think it's a part of it. I think whoever says they don't get nervous is not really true to themselves.
But yeah, it will be a challenge for sure, sleeping on a lead at a place that I really like, with a lot of friends, a lot of family, a lot of people that I know in the crowd. So there's all those things to it, but that's also what's so fun about this place and about these tournaments is to have these opportunities and is why we play golf.
Q. You've led, this is your third day now. I'm sure it's stressful to lead for one day, more to lead for two days, three days, maybe now four days in a row. Can you explain to us what that feels like? Is it any different from the first day to the last day?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, I didn't lead after the first round but after yesterday I did. Yeah, it feels like you have a little target on your back maybe. But it doesn't change any -- the thing I like, I said it before, this golf course, you can't really play it too many different ways. It's all about trying to hit the fairways and hit the greens and get birdie looks. And if you don't, you're going to get -- you're going to have to make up-and-downs for par and make some par putts, perhaps. But it doesn't necessarily change the way you play the golf course, which I quite enjoy.
Q. I'm interested to hear a little bit more about nerves for you. Like when you are feeling nervous, how does that actually manifest, like what are you feeling, what are you thinking?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, whenever I get in a stressful situation I have to slow myself down because I get really fast. I start talking fast, I start breathing fast, and I kind of get, like, a little worked up like that. So I just have to really calm myself down, try to walk slow, talk slow, make everything just a little bit slower, which is a challenge.
I feel like I've had enough experiences where I've seen it work, where I've seen sort of Ryder Cups, I've seen big events where it's happened and can I kind of calm myself down a little bit. But yeah, for me it's just the pace of everything just goes up.
Q. Do you catch yourself doing that or does Joe help you, or how do you do that?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, I definitely catch myself. When I feel like I'm in a good frame of mind I definitely catch myself. Sometimes it's hard to do that. Sometimes you'll see Joe kind of like walk a little bit slower, which is one of the things that we've talked about that he could do to help me out. And then I have to kind of like slow down a little bit and keep up with him.
Q. Do you have a certain amount of pride with this being your home course, your hometown? Does that add a little something extra for you for this tournament?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: I think so, for sure. You know, in the U.S. is where I live. This is where I spend all my time when I'm here, when I'm home. So yeah, I spend a lot of time out at TPC practicing, just on a normal Tuesday when I'm home.
So I definitely feel a little bit extra. I feel like this is a really cool tournament. Even before I moved here when I played the event I absolutely loved it. So it's definitely one of them that I really enjoy, and winning here tomorrow would mean a lot to me, for sure.
Q. Were you guys asked to pick up the pace at one point today?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yes, on No. 5.
Q. Given how fast you are, given how slow the last two days were for your group, do you find that an odd time to enforce that?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: No, I get it. I understand it. Obviously we weren't keeping up with the group in front of us, so naturally the little notice was in place and it made a lot of sense. Me kind of knowing that I am fast, I'm not really trying to do anything a ton different. I obviously try to be ready when it's my turn to go but yeah, I think it is what it is.
Q. How much latitude does Joe have in regards to saying things to you or calling off a shot or whatever is necessary?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, for sure. I mean, I believe in a very open transparent relationship, so if he feels like he needs to say something, say it. And I've always given him sort of the benefit to, if you feel like this is the wrong decision, please tell me, even if I'm over the ball and the wind might switch or the wind might do something weird. Yeah, for sure, I trust Joe with a lot, obviously with his experience and what he's done in the last 13, 14 years in this game. So for sure. I give him a lot of trust.
Q. What made you pick Ponte Vedra when so many guys go to Jupiter or elsewhere?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: I just liked it. The first time I was here I played a Junior Players in 2018, 2017, and I remember saying then that this is a really nice place, and I knew the golf was really good. I enjoy the a little bit of the seasonal change, not necessarily 85 degrees all year round as it is in South Florida. Then I naturally knew a lot of people here even before I moved. Yeah, at the end of the day, it was a pretty easy decision.
Q. How did you play in that first Junior Players?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: I played okay. I think I finished maybe sixth or eighth or something like that, if I remember correctly. But I just remember it was a really cool tournament. It was one of those first kind of AJGA events I got to play.
Q. You're No. 1 this week tee to green and proximity to hole. When did you feel like everything kind of started clicking with your swing?
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Yeah, I think progressively I think I saw some nice things at the weekend at Pebble. I saw some nice things weekend at Riv where I felt like I got off to a slow start but then started playing really nicely.
Then Bay Hill last week was a good test for me in terms of what we're doing. I think it's kind of progressively over the last month or so where it's just gotten easier, it's gotten clearer for me, what I need to do and what I need to work on. This week so far it's been very positive.
THE MODERATOR: Ludvig, thanks for the time, best of luck tomorrow.
LUDVIG ÅBERG: Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports