Despite being at different stages in their careers, the pair are tied in T10 at East Lake Golf Course, both with their eyes on the whopping $25 million prize.
They're hot on the heels of leader Scottie Scheffler, who's sitting pretty at -21, a cool 13 shots ahead after the second round.
The two golfers previously teamed up to clinch a victory for Team Europe in the previous year's Ryder Cup. Aberg, the Swedish sensation, was lauded for his impressive play and composure on the Marco Simone course by past and present players alike, despite being a newcomer to the scene.
McIlroy had already heaped praise on the young Swede's abilities after they spent time together on a team reconnaissance mission before the showdown in Rome, remarking, "It was amazing. I'm sort of surprised it's the first time we'd ever really done it," during his pre-tournament press conference at the DP World Tour's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England.
"Yeah, there's a few new faces on the team and I thought it was a great exercise in terms of getting to know one another a little bit better. I had an opportunity to play with Ludvig for the first time on Monday, which I was excited about. I told him, 'I said I've been looking forward to this for a while.'".
"Everyone talks about what a great driver of the golf ball he is, which he is. The ball-striking is incredible. But I was really impressed with his wedge play and how he can sort of control his trajectory with shorter clubs. I was on the bandwagon before. Certainly at the front of it now."
Before seeing Aberg in person, McIlroy had advocated for Aberg to join the Ryder Cup team last year. The Swede made history as the first golfer to participate in the Ryder Cup before competing in any major championship.
Reflecting on Aberg since he turned professional last June, McIlroy commented, "I had way too many people telling me this guy was going to be one of the best. His attitude is absolutely perfect to play golf. It's not very often the person lives up to the hype. But he lived up to the hype."
Aberg's soaring career has only validated McIlroy's prediction; the veteran foresaw that Aberg would become a massive star. Last November, the Swede clinched his first PGA TOUR victory at the RSM Classic, propelling him into the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
In his stunning debut season as a professional in 2024, Aberg made headlines with his Ryder Cup win and marched into the Masters ranked ninth globally.
Throughout the entire Masters tournament, he duked it out with Scheffler, but ultimately, the World No. 1 snagged his second green jacket away.
Finishing a remarkable second at 7-under in his first-ever major championship round, Aberg had shown promise earlier in the year when he led the US Open through two rounds before slipping to a tie for 12th due to a triple-bogey in the third round.
This young star has truly risen to the expectations heralded by the likes of McIlroy, now sitting as the world's fourth-best golfer. With sights set on finishing the year strong, Aberg took commendations from a former teammate with humility, declaring: "Well, it's very flattering," and added, "To me, it just tells me that we are doing some good things, me and my team, and we're probably not going to change a whole lot. But obviously hearing those things from Rory and those guys is very, very encouraging."
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