At 35, McIlroy is currently vying with 24-year-old Aberg at The Tour Championship, which kicked off on Thursday and wraps up on Sunday. Despite their different career phases, both are neck and neck in T10 at East Lake Golf Course, each with an outside shot at the whopping $25million (£19m) prize, as Scottie Scheffler leads by a formidable 13 shots on -21 following round two.
The duo previously joined forces to secure a win for Team Europe at last year's Ryder Cup. Aberg, the talented Swede, earned accolades from veterans and newcomers alike at the Marco Simone golf course for his skill and calm presence so early in his career.
McIlroy had already praised the young golfer's prowess after they met during a team scouting trip before the event in Rome, leaving him quite impressed with Aberg.
"It was amazing. I'm sort of surprised it's the first time we'd ever really done it," McIlroy reflected at his pre-tournament press conference for the DP World Tour's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, reports the Mirror .
"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."
McIlroy added: "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."
McIlroy had advocated for Aberg's inclusion in the Ryder Cup team last year even before witnessing his play in person. Aberg made history as the first player to participate in the Ryder Cup prior to competing in a major championship.
"I had way too many people telling me this guy was going to be one of the best," McIlroy remarked about Aberg since turning professional last June. "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."
The seasoned golfer's prediction about Aberg becoming a significant star has been confirmed by the Swede's rapid rise. He secured his first PGA TOUR victory at the RSM Classic in November 2023, propelling him into the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings. Aberg had a cracking first season in the majors in 2024, hot on the heels of his Ryder Cup victory. He rocked up to the Masters ranked ninth globally, not even a year after turning professional.
He was neck and neck with Scheffler throughout most of the 72 holes at Augusta, but the World No. 1 eventually surged ahead to snag his second green jacket. Aberg still managed a commendable second-place finish at 7-under, despite it being his maiden major championship round.
Come June, Aberg was leading the pack at the US Open after two rounds but slipped to a tie for 12th following a triple-bogey disaster in the third round. Now sitting pretty as the world's fourth-ranked golfer, Aberg is taking the plaudits from McIlroy and others with a cool head.
"Well, it's very flattering," Aberg remarked. "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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