Ludvig Åberg brought it up himself at a press conference this week ahead of his Olympic Games debut:
It's been two years since I played here. I was still an amateur, playing for the national team and Jonnie Eriksson was the captain. He's also here now, says Åberg.
It feels almost like "full circle".
Going for the stars
Åberg was the anchor in the Swedish team that finished second in the amateur World Championship at Le Golf National.
Back then, he was very promising but far from a celebrity in Swedish sports.
Now, after a dreamlike first professional year, he's one of the players most talked about in the golf world.
And one of the favorites in the Olympic Games, where he'll play with superstars Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in Thursday's opening round.
Then (2022) we actually said that it's clear he would play in the amateur World Championship, because in two years it's the Olympic Games here and it's not impossible that he'll be there then. We joked about it, anyway, says Jonnie Eriksson.
Wanted to become even better
Could you believe it would go so fast for him?
Not that fast. But we have good statistics on how good he is in different parts of the game. We knew that if we put him on the PGA tour, he would land between 50th and 80th place. But he wanted to become even better, because when he turned pro, he wanted to be able to compete among the best.
Eriksson has worked closely with the now 24-year-old Åberg since he was 18.
It's fun that a little guy can develop so much in five-six years that he's standing here and can take an Olympic medal.
Remembers Stenson 2016
It would then be Sweden's second medal after Henrik Stenson's silver in Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Then, golf was back on the Olympic program for the first time in modern times. Åberg remembers the gold duel well.
Stenson had just won the British Open and played fantastically well. He was close to beating Justin Rose, says Åberg.
How high would you rank an Olympic medal?
Super high. Every time you represent Sweden, it gets a little more intense and a little bigger.
An Olympic medal would have been fantastic.
2023:
June: Debuts on the PGA tour. Finishes 25th in the Canadian Open.
September: Is part of Europe's Ryder Cup team that defeats the USA.
November: Takes his first win on the PGA tour, in Georgia.
2024
March: Finishes eighth in The Players Championship, often called the fifth major.
April: Finishes second in his major debut in the US Masters.
August: Makes his Olympic Games debut in Paris.
