You might remember the 1999 Ryder Cup for a lot of reasons. The historic comeback. The brash celebration. The last of Payne Stewart’s Ryder Cup. The Colin Montgomerie abuse… But it was also the debut of one certain Sergio Garcia. The kid from Spain, brimming with passion, netted 3½ points from the five matches he played. The first glimpse of a glittering career that saw him become the highest point earner (28.5) in the biennial event’s history. 

Cut to 2024, Sergio Garcia sparks mixed emotions even among Europeans. The LIV Golf pro is still fighting tooth and nail for a spot in the biennial event. The DP World Tour only takes its members into account, and Garcia gave up his card after being fined nine figures. A solution is not in sight as of now despite him retracing his footsteps. Nevertheless, when a player of Garcia’s stature leaves, it creates a void. 

Enters Ludvig Aberg into the picture.

The Swedish ‘kid’ was inducted into the European squad on captain Luke Donald’s nod. Barely 24 hours after his victory at the Omega European Masters, Donald announced him as his sixth and final captain’s pick. That trajectory had an uncanny resemblance to Garcia’s rise to the top.

In 1999, the hot-headed Spaniard earned a spot right after turning pro. His first DP World Tour triumph came in his sixth start, pulling away from Angel Cabrera by three strokes at the 1999 Irish Open. He was just 19. A few months later Garcia was in Brooklyn. 

Paul McGinley, who has played three Ryder Cups with Sergio Garcia, compared Aberg to the Spaniard. “[With] Sergio Garcia coming into the team way back in the late 1990s in the same way, a guy like that [Aberg] coming in… a special talent, a generational talent. Why not take a chance?” said the four-time DP World Tour winner and next year’s strategic adviser to Donald in the recently released documentary, Una Famiglia.

His comments echo Donald’s. “I really do have a lot of faith and belief in Ludvig. I think he’s a generational player,” said the 46-year-old after picking the Swedish international. Aberg, currently 5th in the world golf ranking, is very likely to tee off at Bethpage Black next year. And there are reasons to believe Aberg and his fellow youngsters might just block the way back for Garcia and his LIV Golf brethren.

Ludvig Aberg’s success might have come at the cost of Sergio Garcia & Co

Surely, you just don’t throw a 23-year-old inside the ropes in the Ryder Cup. Not when the opponent boasts of the world’s best and most seasoned Ryder Cuppers. So, when Edoardo Molinari suggested Aberg’s name – he was yet to graduate, this was in January 2023 – the team selection committee laughed. 

McGinley recounted in the documentary, “We all kind of laughed at Eduardo. And say, ‘Right, he’s gonna turn pro, and within two months he is going to be a Ryder Cup player. I don’t think so.’” Donald took a chance regardless, inviting Aberg to play a few events in Europe.

The European captain checked if the Texas Tech alum can control the nerves under difficult circumstances. He did. Much like Sergio Garcia, when he lifted the silverware in a field comprising Seve Ballesteros, Padraig Harrington, and the like. Aberg, again in a similar fashion to Sergio Garcia, bagged two points in Rome, the most important of which came against Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in the Saturday Foursome. 

As for Sergio Garcia, the success of Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland, and the rookies has somewhat put the last batch of Ryder Cup heroes on the back foot. The Spaniard is still hoping for a spot, but it might be hard to come by.