Ludvig Aberg Withdraws From The American Express Due To Illness

Ludvig Aberg stares into the distance.

Making his first competitive start of 2026, Ludvig Aberg had been among the favorites to contend at The American Express but, on Saturday, he was forced to withdraw due to illness.

Although it's unclear as to what the Swedish star was suffering from, Aberg had been sat at nine-under-par through his first two rounds, sitting a shot above the cutline in La Quinta.

At the time, Scottie Scheffler and 18-year-old, Blades Brown, led the pack, with the pair 17-under following their first two days in California.

Ludvig Åberg (illness) WD prior to his third round at The American Express.January 24, 2026

Firing a four-under round of 68 at La Quinta Country Club, which included a penultimate hole double bogey, Aberg then followed it up with a blemish-free five-under 67 at the Nicklaus Tournament Course.

Scheduled to play the Pete Dye Tournament Course on Saturday, the two-time Ryder Cup player withdrew prior to his 12.58pm (ET) tee time, where he was paired alongside Harris English.

It now means that Aberg is the fourth player to withdraw from the tournament, as Luke Clanton, Rico Hoey and former American Express champion, Nick Dunlap, also withdrew prior to their second round on Friday.

Aberg in action during round one of The American Express (Image credit: Getty Images)

This time last year, Aberg was forced to withdraw from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am revealing that a mystery illness caused him to lose around eight pounds in just two days.

The illness started around the time of the Farmers Insurance Open and, although he ended up finishing the tournament despite a poor weekend showing, he went on to withdraw from the Signature Event of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Returning at the Genesis Invitational, the 26-year-old went on to win that event, which just so happened to be staged at Torrey Pines, the same venue as the Farmers Insurance Open, as Riviera Country Club was closed due to wildfires in Los Angeles.

Having not claimed a victory since then, Aberg will hopefully be returning at the Farmers Insurance Open next week, where he will join Brooks Koepka, who is making his PGA Tour return after leaving LIV Golf.