Rory McIlroy gives honest assessment of Ludvig Aberg at The Players

Rory McIlroy during the final round of The Players Championship

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Matthew Couden

By Matthew Couden

Contributing Writer

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As The Players Championship hit its final round, Ludvig Aberg remained atop the leaderboard, at 13 strokes under par at TPC Sawgrass, and only a select few were within striking distance of his lead.

They included Robert MacIntyre, Cameron Young, and Matt Fitzpatrick, with anywhere from five to eight holes left for each of the contenders. Of them, MacIntyre made a huge move on the leaderboard for his final round, giving chase to the potential championship.

Meanwhile, several of the famous event's previous winners were nowhere near Aberg's lead, including Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. The latter was the reigning champion from last year and shared his thoughts after seeing Aberg play exceptionally well on the course this year.

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Rory McIlroy during the final round of The Players Championship

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Asked what he liked most about Aberg's game, McIlroy didn't pinpoint one aspect, instead mentioning it was "Pretty much everything" that he liked.

"His pace of play. Once he gets over the ball he's really decisive. He's obviously got a beautiful swing. Looks like he plays with a lot of freedom," McIlroy said.

That beauty of a swing was on full display when Aberg launched a shot for the eagle in a thrilling moment during this latest run.

"Watching a little bit of the golf yesterday afternoon, he's always smiling out there. He looks like he finds a lot of joy in playing the game, and it looks like him and Joe, his caddie, always have good conversations and a good laugh out there, and that's important, as well," McIlroy said of Aberg.

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He also described the 26-year-old Swedish golfer as "unflappable" and "ridiculously laid-back," which he indicated can help immensely when it comes to playing certain courses or events, like the Ryder Cup.

McIlroy won The Players twice, with his first win coming in 2019 and his second last year. Scheffler won it in back-to-back fashion, just before him for his two career wins at the event.

As of this writing, Scheffler was tied for 22nd on ESPN's leaderboard, with McIlroy much lower, tied for 46th place.

Meanwhile, Ludvig Aberg has been in contention for other events and is coming off last month's win at The Genesis Invitational, but has yet to win an event as big as The Players Championship.

He appeared to be in a great spot to capture that elusive win on Sunday, but several individuals on his heels were also seeking their first win at The Players Championship, with Fitzpatrick previously winning The U.S. Open in his career.