Ludvig Aberg, the defending champion at the prestigious Genesis Invitational, which features the legendary presence of Tiger Woods, is facing a new battle with his health that looms over his participation in the $20 million tournament. The Swedish golfer spoke openly about his concerns ahead of the competition, revealing alarming details about a condition that has affected him previously.
“It was a bit annoying at the start of the season. Obviously, I felt good in the first few days of the American Express and, in fact, very similar to what happened a year ago at Torrey, where I just woke up in the middle of the night. I won’t go into details, but it wasn’t pretty. Yes, it has been bothering me a bit since then,” Aberg told the media while preparing for the big competition.
During last year’s Farmers Insurance Open, Aberg shared the lead after the first round before being struck by a sudden nocturnal illness. He recalled the terrifying experience of waking up with intense vomiting, which caused him to lose between eight and ten pounds in just 48 hours. Despite the severity of the symptoms, which evolved into a high fever and body aches, the golfer tried to stay on the course. He finished the competition in 42nd place, but his condition did not improve, leading him to withdraw from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am the following week. Interestingly, two weeks later, Aberg made a comeback, winning the Genesis Invitational 2025 with an impressive score of 12 under par. Now, as he attempts to defend his title, the symptoms have returned, but he is working with medical specialists to uncover the source of this issue.
“Obviously, I’ve been in touch with doctors, and we are conducting an investigation into gut health, so to speak. Yes, I feel much better now than I did back then, which is positive,” Aberg added, showing optimism amid adversity.
The impact of this health management is already visible on the course. Although he withdrew from the American Express and failed to make the cut at the WMPO, Aberg showed resilience at Pebble Beach. After a disastrous opening day with a score of 75, he displayed the grit of a champion, bouncing back with rounds of 69, 66, and 67, finishing in 37th place. One of the most memorable moments was an impressive eagle from 138 yards on the 10th hole, in addition to nearly making a hole-in-one on the par-3 seventh hole, showing that the defending champion is finally finding his rhythm after a challenging start to the season.
And it’s not just his health that is improving this strange 2026 season. While dealing with stomach issues, Aberg also became a pioneer by making history with a new rule on the PGA Tour. He was the first player to benefit from a significant change in the regulations regarding damaged equipment.
In the past, if a player broke a club, they could only replace it if the damage was deemed very significant, often resulting in long waits while the caddie rushed to the locker room in search of a new club. With the new rule implemented at the beginning of 2026, players can now carry spare parts, such as driver heads, directly in their bags during the round. If a rules official confirms a visible crack, the player can immediately replace the damaged part, allowing the game to continue without interruptions.
Aberg was the first to benefit from this new rule. During the third round at Pebble Beach, he hit a drive out of bounds on the 18th hole and noticed a crack in the face of his driver. Unlike previous rules, which would have forced him to play several holes with just a 3-wood, his caddie, Joe Skovron, quickly retrieved a spare driver head from the bag. “I had the spare at the bottom of the bag,” Skovron commented.
Aberg’s journey in this tournament is not just a battle for health, but also a demonstration of adaptation and innovation in the world of golf, promising an exciting spectacle for fans.
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