Young guns Aberg, Bennett, Kuest aim to break through at Rocket Mortgage

DETROIT -- It’s only been one month, but if you ask Ludvig Aberg, it’s felt like an eternity.

It was on this date just one month ago – May 29 – that the 23-year-old Swede played his last collegiate round at the NCAA D1 men’s golf championships. A day later, he was named the Haskins Award winner as the most outstanding college golfer for the second year in a row. He received his PGA TOUR card that day, too, a distinction given for the first time to the top-ranked golfer in the PGA TOUR University standings.

One week later he made his professional debut at the RBC Canadian Open.

Aberg's latest marker of progress came Thursday with an opening round-65 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He trails leaders Peter Kuest and Taylor Moore by one.

“These last couple weeks, it’s been a test, it’s been overwhelming but also this is what I like, this is what you want to do,” said the Texas Tech alum. “(I’m) trying to embrace it.”

It’s a sentiment shared by his peer Sam Bennett, who’s also 23 and finds himself tied with Aberg at 7-under after the first round. The confident Texas A&M grad, who finished fifth in the 2023 PGA TOUR U rankings, is making his fifth strabaight start this week at Detroit Golf Club since he turned pro earlier in June at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

Each has had success in their limited opportunities: Aberg with top-25 finishes in both of his professional starts, while Bennett has most notably shined in the majors, playing in the final group in the third round of the Masters and in the mix after two rounds at the U.S. Open.

Evading both, though, is the feeling of true contention on Sunday. Close enough to observe, neither has come down the back nine with a lead nor with the tournament within their grasp. Through one round, they have left themselves in their best spot to do so. Now the objective is clear: Take full advantage.

“It's great, the experience I'm able to get,” said Bennett, who made seven birdies, two bogeys and an eagle on the par-5 seventh, sticking his approach within 7 feet and making the putt.

Aberg’s card looked nearly identical: seven birdies, two bogeys and an eagle at the same hole 30 minutes before Bennett. Only Aberg chipped in for eagle at the seventh, momentarily giving him a two-shot lead at 9-under before he made back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 8 and 9 to close his round.

The two are inextricably linked for much more than a first-round scorecard. Seemingly every year, a young golfer fresh out of college takes the professional golf landscape by surprise. Early returns show there may be two this year in Aberg and Bennett.

Then there’s Kuest, the leader through the morning wave who nearly wasn’t in the field. The 25-year-old California native, who has conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour, earned his spot through a playoff in the Monday qualifier. Struggling to get into many KFT events with his status and taking his chances at PGA TOUR Mondays has been the game plan.

“May as well go play the big tour,” said Kuest, who played college golf at BYU.

He’s made it out of the hyper-competitive Mondays three times this year. He missed the cut at the Valero Texas Open and finished T57 at the RBC Canadian Open. His only other start this season was at the AT&T Byron Nelson as a sponsor exemption. He finished T14.

“It solidifies that I can play out here,” said Kuest, who turned pro in 2020 and is making just his 10th career PGA TOUR start.

Kuest is certainly the most unheralded of the trio, and his first round may present the most opportunity. While Aberg and Bennett are looking to validate themselves and their decorated amateur careers, both will have status next season -- Aberg on the PGA TOUR and Bennett on the Korn Ferry Tour, regardless of the result. A win or a top-five finish for Kuest would be life-changing, but he’s not ready to go there just yet.

“We've got another round tomorrow so we're going to get ready for that and then just take it one step at a time,” he said.

All three took a step forward Thursday. Will any make a giant leap later this week?

Opportunity awaits in Detroit.