Updated 01.49 | Published 01.18
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Ludvig Åberg, 24, excels at Pebble Beach.
But now he can snuff out the chance to win.
A severe storm is expected and it is uncertain at the time of writing whether the competition can even be played.
After 54 holes played, the Swedish star is in sole second place, 16 shots under par.
He would have been in the lead alone – if it wasn’t for the American Wyndham Clark, 30, doing the round of his life on Saturday:
60 strokes (12 under par) and a new course record at Pebble Beach.
– It was surreal. I got a great start, got into the “zone” and then it just flowed on, says Clark about the monster lap.
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full screen Photo: Ryan Sun/AP
Storms are threatening
Åberg is just one stroke behind Clark.
But the question is what happens now?
A heavy storm with torrential rain and winds over 20 meters per second will sweep over California, where the competition is played, during Sunday and then it will not be possible to play.
– The wind is the biggest problem, from a safety perspective, says PGA tour head referee Gary Young NBC.
And at the time of writing, it is uncertain whether you can even play on Monday.
– The absolutely latest time we could start playing on Monday is at 10.15 local time (19.15 Swedish time), in order to get all the players around. The forecast right now is that it will rain a little lightly in the morning. But the track is already very wet and it has to be of a reasonable standard for us to play, says Gary Young.
In the worst case, the PGA Tour may therefore be forced to cancel the competition and in that case crown Wyndham Clark as the winner – despite having only played 54 holes.
Åberg can be sniffed
It is a “worst-case scenario” and a final announcement will not come until Monday.
But should that happen, Ludvig Åberg will therefore miss out on the chance to win.
It would be especially sour given that the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, as the competition is called, is one of the PGA Tour’s eight “signature competitions”, where the starting fields are extra star-studded and the prize money extra fat.
The winner receives SEK 38 million, the runner-up receives SEK 23 million.
So there is a difference of 15 million between coming first and second.
– I would have loved if they ended the competition after 54 holes played, but at the same time you want to win in a normal way and I am mentally set to play 18 more holes, says Wyndham Clark.
“Living my boyhood dream”
Regardless of what happens, Ludvig Åberg is satisfied.
To even fight for victory in such a big competition is something he has dreamed of since childhood.
– A lot has happened in the last few months and I’m starting to get comfortable in the situation I’m in now. I wasn’t at first, then I was terrified. Of course I still get nervous, but you get used to it – and it’s so much fun to be in these situations. That’s what I try to remind myself all the time, that I’m living my boyhood dream right now. And I am so lucky to be able to do that, he says.
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full screen Photo: Ryan Sun/AP
