Masters runner-up Ludvig Aberg admits he was shaking with nerves at times during the final round of a hugely impressive major debut.
The 24-year-old Swede, who only turned professional last summer, emerged as eventual winner Scottie Scheffler’s nearest challenger at Augusta National.
He might have pushed him closer had a rare error at the 11th hole not seen him find the water and make a costly double bogey.
“I think there’s a lot of things that we did very well this week, especially today [Sunday], because I came out and I was very nervous, obviously,” said Aberg.
“I was shaking a little bit on the first tee. Those are all things that I really enjoy doing. We said that it’s a privilege to be able to hit all these shots out here, and it’s a privilege to be in this position.
“Obviously we knew that hitting it in the water on 11 wasn’t ideal, but we also just kept playing. That’s what me and my caddie Joe [Skovron] and our team has been trying to work on. Just keep playing no matter what happens.”
Aberg refused to let his misstep trouble him, managing a broad smile as he walked away from the hole, and almost got back to within one of Scheffler two holes later when his eagle putt skirted the hole.
It still marked a brilliant weekend as he finished four shots behind the world No1 on seven under par, securing prize money of $2.16m (£1.73m) and climbing to seventh in the world rankings.
“I think we did that very well and it just showed that we stuck to what we did, and it ended up being pretty okay anyways,” Aberg added.
“It shows we’re doing a lot of good stuff, and obviously, finishing well in the Masters is a dream come true. Just playing here has been such a privilege, and I’m super proud of myself and the team and all the work that we’re doing.”