Ludvig Aberg has the opportunity to do something at the US Open that hasn’t been done in 111 years: win on his tournament debut.
The 24-year-old PGA Tour rookie put himself in a good position to make history with rounds of 66 and 69 to sit at five-under after day two, one shot ahead of Bryson DeChambeau, Thomas Detry and Patrick Cantlay.
The last golfer to claim the US Open title on their debut was amateur Francis Ouimet in 1913.
In fact, only five players have won their first US Open: Horace Rawlins, Fred Herd, Harry Vardon, George Sargent and Ouimet.
Of the five players who won on their debuts, only two won more Majors in their careers.
Ouimet also won the US Amateur in 1914 and 1931, which at the time was considered one of golf’s Majors.
Vardon, widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time, claimed seven Major titles in his career.
Aberg will have his work cut out if he is to break the 111-year run, with several big names hot on his tail and a tricky, unpredictable Pinehurst No.2 to contend with.
However, the young Swede has already shown that he is capable of challenging for a Major, finishing in outright second at the Masters this year, four shots behind a dominant Scottie Scheffler.
Since joining the pro ranks in June 2023, Aberg also has two victories on the PGA and DP World Tour, and helped Team Europe regain the Ryder Cup in Europe.
Aberg is the first player to hold the 36-hole US Open lead in their debut since T.C. Chen in 1985.
“I think a US Open is supposed to be hard,” Aberg said after his second round. “It’s supposed to be tricky and it’s supposed to challenge any aspect of your game and I feel like it’s really doing that.
“But I’m super fortunate with the way that things have turned out over the last couple of days and hopefully we’ll be able to keep it up.”
Golfers Who Won The US Open In Their Debut
Horace Rawlins (1895)
Rawlins won the inaugural US Open at Newport Country Club, which was contested by 11 players. Playing in just his third ever tournament, Rawlins beat the more established Willie Dunn by two strokes to claim the title.
Fred Herd (1898)
Herd won the fourth US Open at Myopia Hunt Club, the first time the tournament was played over 72 holes. Herd carded rounds of 84, 85, 75 and 84 to win the trophy and the $150 prize.
Harry Vardon (1900)
Vardon, who also won the Open Championship six times, claimed his only US Open title at Chicago Golf Club. He beat his great rival J.H. Taylor by two strokes.
George Sargent (1909)
Sargent won the 15th US Open at Englewood Gold Club, setting a new 72-hole scoring record for the tournament of 290. He won by four strokes over runner-up Tom McNamara.
Francis Ouimet (1913)
A 20-year-old Ouimet won the 19th US Open at The Country Club after a three-way playoff. Ouimet beat Vardon and Ted Ray in an 18-hole playoff to win the title after the trio were tied after 72 holes.
