The Players: Ludvig Åberg blows a big lead after a late surge at TPC Sawgrass as Matt Fitzpatrick takes charge | golf news

Ludvig Åberg admitted nervousness affected his game as he blew a three-shot lead at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday.

The overnight lead was built on the front nine, which typically underlined his title credentials, but a bogey on the 11 and a double bogey on the 12 derailed the final round.

In doing so, he paved the way for the pairing of Cam Young and Matt Fitzpatrick to dominate the tournament, with the former eventually winning by one stroke at 13 under par to claim his second PGA Tour title while Åberg finished tied for fifth at 9 under par.

“Obviously I’m really disappointed,” Åberg said. “I felt like I was hitting some decent shots early on. I had a few issues, especially (the 4) miss to the left, but overall I was happy with my week. Obviously the back nine wasn’t great today, but sometimes that’s the way it goes.”

His critical moment came when he was 11 years old. He hit a rough second shot into the water and dropped a drop en route to bogey to get back up to 12 under.

Moments later, the change in momentum was confirmed when he once again hit his tee shot into the water on the 12th hole, and in contrast to his unwavering personality all week, he signaled sharply by putting his putter on the green as the pressure mounted.

“It was quickly taken away from me from there,” he said. “Yeah, I just didn’t have a good swing. I felt like I missed that kind of 7-wood a few times this week, especially twice on the 4th hole and also on the 11-wood.

“Then on the 12th hole, I tried to press a little bit and hit a driver. Sometimes I could play a 3-wood a little short of that bunker. Of course, I was really disappointed. I wish I was standing where Cameron is standing right now. But overall, I felt like I saw some good things in my game this week.

“We kind of had a game plan that we could pick our driver, but obviously the wind today was a little bit different than what we’ve had, and it was a good wind. But yeah, it wasn’t a good swing. It was a really bad swing and it definitely stung a little bit.”

The theme of Åberg’s week and rise to stardom has been his calm demeanor, but the Swede admitted adversity on the back nine led to some rushed shots.

“Yeah, I think so. I think so. It definitely felt a little fast at times,” he said. “Looking at the swing in the 11th and 12th holes, I think it was probably a fast swing.

“The takeaway went really fast and the rest just spiraled from there. Looking back now, that’s what I should have recognized. But yeah, that’s how it’s going.”

Fitzpatrick: I have high expectations for myself.

With Åberg’s death came an opportunity for Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick played a pivotal role in Young’s victory, putting himself in the driver’s seat at 13 under par with just two bogeys over the final five holes.

The Yorkshireman exploded out of the blocks with three birdies in the first four holes after starting five shots behind, then two more on the 12th and 13th holes to capitalize on Åberg’s plunge.

“I think the most important thing is to believe in my own abilities,” Fitzpatrick said of his performance after the game. “I’ve done a lot of really good work with Mark Blackburn and I think we’ve seen a lot of really, really positive signs over the last 12 months.

“I don’t think so. I spoke to my psychologist last night, and I feel like I’m very good at positioning myself between 15 and 5. That’s not the case. I feel like I’m not doing enough between 5 and 1.

“If we can do that, which is easier said than done, I believe we’ll have more wins. That’s easier said than done, but I feel like if we can step back and do that, it’ll be a good thing.”

Fitzpatrick came to regret a poor finish to the third round, in which he posted back-to-back birdies followed by a double bogey at 18.

“I felt like I was playing well,” he said. “The disappointment last night felt like it was going to bite me. Today it definitely did.

“That was the only double of the week and you could have a good week if you keep that off the cards here. It was a frustrating feeling as if you got out of position, got bogey (at worst) and walked away. To finish as sloppily as I did was disappointing.”

Fitzpatrick and Young headed to 18 at 13 under, with the Englishman left to himself to find a tree on the final tee.

He went on to miss a putt from 8 feet, handing the win to Young, who capped the match with a close-range par putt.

“I have high expectations for myself. I believe my abilities will only get better and better, and I don’t feel like I’ve reached this point far enough,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’ve done a better job over the last 12 months, but I feel like I’m giving myself a good chance to keep winning once I’m in this position.

“Today was one of those days where you realistically get into the playoffs and become a mosquito because you don’t get a win. It’s hard to understand how it ended, but it’s a cliché. There are a lot of positives.”

What’s next?

The PGA Tour is in Florida for the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor. Sky Sports Golf will have early coverage from 11.30am on Thursday, with full coverage from 6pm.

There are less than four weeks left until the opening match of this year’s men’s major. McIlroy’s title defense at the Masters will be broadcast live exclusively on Sky Sports Golf from April 9-12. Access or stream Sky Sports with no contract.

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