Ludvig Aberg closes in on winning bet with caddie Joe Skovron

LA JOLLA, Calif. – Ludvig Aberg played Torrey Pines Golf Course on Friday, like, well, that other Ludvig — Beethoven. And his symphony of 66 strokes at the South Course, matching the low round of the day and tournament (so far) included a holed 40-foot bunker shot at the par-5 18^th for eagle. That came one day after Aberg — not Beethoven — holed a 30-foot bunker shot from over the green at the par-3 eighth. Two rounds at Torrey during this week’s Genesis Invitational on the PGA Tour have resulted in two hole outs from off the green. Not too shabby, and also has improved his odds of winning an outstanding bet.

“Anytime you make a shot off the green it’s a bonus,” said Aberg, who went on to describe Friday’s bunker shot and his bet with veteran caddie, Joe Skovron. “All I tried to do was get it somewhat close and make a birdie. It was nice to see it go in. I have a little bet with my caddie, Joe, to see how many hole-outs we can do this year, so that was one for the count.”

The bet is with Skovron, who spent most of his caddying career on the bag of the Rickie Fowler and has instituted a veteran move with the hole out bet. Aberg noted that was his fourth hole out of the season and he has until the RBC Heritage in April to reach seven. And what happens if he fails?

“I lose money to Joe, so I don’t want to do that,” Aberg said, breaking into a smile.

But should he win Skovron will have to dig into his pocket for an undisclosed amount.

“Yeah, a little bit,” is how Aberg put it.

Ted Scott, caddie for Scottie Scheffler, has engaged in a similar bet with his boss in recent years, and speaking at the Players Championship last year, called the bet an old caddie trick — Jordan Spieth and Michael Greller have had a similar practice for years — and while the caddies are often on the losing end, they wind up profiting if their pro is holing out shots at a tournament with a $20 million purse. In short, there’s really no downside.

“It’s like fishing where the fish thinks it’s getting something,” Scott explained. “He’s a competitor so I like to figure out ways to make him competitive. It’s just a way to keep him engaged.”

Aberg sits T-5 and four strokes off the pace heading into the weekend at the Genesis Invitational and will attempt to extend his hole-out streak to three rounds in a row.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Caddie Joe Skovron may lose a win-win bet with his boss Ludvig Aberg