Ludvig Aberg became the first PGA Tour player to benefit from a new rule allowing on-course replacement of a cracked driver during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The Swede's driver face cracked after an out-of-bounds drive on the par-5 18th hole in his third round. This change, effective for the 2026 season, lets caddies carry spare heads in the bag.
During the third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week, Ludvig Aberg faced a setback on the iconic par-5 18th hole, which was his ninth of the day. His drive went out of bounds to the right, and upon inspection, he discovered a crack in the face of his driver. Such incidents are common in modern golf, where high-speed swings can damage ultra-thin club faces from equipment manufacturers.
Prior to recent updates, players like Aberg would have been unable to replace the club mid-round without significant inconvenience. The Model Local Rule G-9 was revised in 2025 to permit replacement of drivers showing a visible crack, following a notable case involving Matt Fitzpatrick at the 2024 BMW Championship. In that event, Fitzpatrick's driver damage was not considered sufficient for replacement, leading to challenges in play.
For the 2026 season, the PGA Tour introduced further modifications to streamline the process. Caddies can now carry a spare driver head in the bag, enabling immediate swaps on the course without needing to retrieve parts from the locker room. Aberg's caddie, Joe Skovron, explained the benefit: “They sent out rules changes at the start of the year and one of them was you no longer had to keep it (the replacement part) in the locker. Before, someone had to get it for you. Now you can carry it in the bag, and if your driver is deemed damaged, you could put that one in. I had the backup in the belly of the bag.”
A rules official confirmed the damage, allowing Aberg to replace the head. He then hit his next drive down the fairway but narrowly missed a par. Steve Rintoul, the PGA Tour’s vice president of Rules & Officiating, commented on the improvement: “We like the fact if a club is cracked or broken, it can be replaced right there. The old method of the replacement was so archaic.”
This rule now applies to all PGA Tour players, who will carry two drivers as a result. Aberg is set to defend his title this week at the Genesis Invitational, a $20 million signature event at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
