Nicolai

Hojgaard

The big-hitting Dane eased into his round with a trio of birdies before the turn then fireworks happened with circles on five of his last six holes. “I played some really good golf. I have to say this is the best golf I’ve played in a tournament and the strongest field in my three wins.” This will go in the books as his third DP World Tour title but first in a Rolex Series event. Hojgaard ended the year ranked second on the DP World Tour standings, sandwiched between superstars Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm. Fantasy gamers will see a lot of Hojgaard next year on the PGA Tour.

The 22-year-old did not expect to have any status in the States this season but a runner-up finish at last week’s Corales certainly changed those plans. The youngster talked about his disappointment in his performance this week but happy about his newfound status. “We definitely have to, when I get home, try and figure out what we’re going to do from now. It’s a great opportunity and I think we’ll definitely chase it over here going forward. It’s been two good weeks and looking forward to the rest of the season.” Gamers should expect to see a lot more of the young Dane moving forward.

Hojgaard was playing on a sponsor’s invite this week. He typically spends his time on the DP World Tour but this could springboard a movement to the States. The 22-year finished T1 in GIR for the week as well as birdies recorded (24). He now has top 15s in five of his last seven worldwide starts. With a top-10 finish this week, he does gain access to next week’s Valero Texas Open field and it sounds like he’ll use that opportunity, “Hopefully I can just keep building on what I’ve done this week and what I’ve done this season. Played some solid golf in Europe and played some good golf this week and yeah, tighten up a few things for next week. Yeah, I’m excited to play next week.”

The youngster is 6-for-14 with a win this season to rank 57th in the DP World Tour rankings. The win at the Ras al Khaimah Championship remains his lone top 10 of the season. Now, he’ll head home for another look at HimmerLand Resort. He’s missed the cut here twice but improved to a T40 last year. Adding to the motivation tank, Hojgaard will be playing his first two rounds alongside European Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald. Hojgaard currently ranks 21st in the Ryder Cup qualifying rankings with three names above him potentially removed from consideration after defecting to LIV. A strong start this week won’t ensure anything regarding his Ryder Cup chances but it certainly couldn’t hurt to be in the good graces of captain Donald.

The 21-year-old Dane, whose twin brother Rasmus Hojgaard is also playing this week marking the first time the two have played in the same PGA Tour event, has missed the cut in two Tour starts in 2022 – at the Honda Classic and Arnold Palmer Invitational. However, he’s already a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, where he earned his maiden victory last year at the DS Automobiles Italian Open and grabbed his second win in February at the Ras al Khaimah Championship. He led by three strokes after 54 holes at Al Hamra GC, but Hojgaard struggled early during his final round with a double bogey and bogey and trailed by two strokes entering the back nine. He bounced back with an eagle and three birdies on his last six holes to win by four strokes over Englishman Jordan Smith.

Hojgaard, who earned his first win last September at the Italian Open, birdied his last two holes to win by four strokes over Englishman Jordan Smith. He held a three-shot lead after 54 holes, but his lead began to crumble following a double bogey at No. 9 and bogey at 12. He rebounded with birdie at 13 and eagle at 14 to set up his birdie-birdie finish. Hojgaard, whose twin brother Rasmus is a three-time DPWT winner, carded four rounds in the 60s at Al Hamra GC, where he finished at 24-under 264. However, the next week at the same venue, he missed the cut at the Ras al Khaimah Classic after shooting 71-74. In his only other PGA Tour-sanctioned start, Hojgaard missed the cut at the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie.

The 20-year-old Hojgaard, who earned his first win last September at the Italian Open, held a three-shot lead after 54 holes at Al Hamra Golf Course in the UAE. But his lead began to crumble following a double bogey at No. 9 and bogey at 12. He rebounded with a birdie at 13 and eagle at 14 to set up his birdie-birdie finish. “It’s been such a tough grind today,” he said after. “I had to dig deep out there, and the turning point was obviously on 13 where I saw Jordan Smith had made a run and was two up when I was on the green at 13. I stepped up with a clutch finish so I’m really happy.” Hojgaard, whose twin brother Rasmus is a three-time DPWT winner, will stay on in the UAE for this week’s Ras al Khaimah Classic, also at Al Hamra GC.

The 20-year-old Hojgaard, who captured his first DP World Tour title last year in September at the Italian Open, made a little history in December when he and brother Rasmus became the first pair of twins ranked in the top 100 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Nicolai currently is No. 88 while Rasmus is No. 97. Hojgaard finished last year on a high note with two top-five finishes – T-2 at Portugal Masters and T-4 at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. He made 15 cuts in 22 starts with a win and three top 10s and finished eighth in the Race to Dubai standings.

The 20-year-old Hojgaard, who broke through for his maiden European Tour win in September at the Italian Open, finished at 13-under 275 in his tournament debut at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course, tied with Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and four strokes behind winner and Race to Dubai champion Collin Morikawa. One start prior at the Portugal Masters, Hojgaard rallied with a 7-under 64 on Sunday to finish T-2. His back-to-back top fives propelled him to finish eighth in the Race to Dubai standings and to No. 109 in the world rankings. On the season, the Dane made 15 cuts in 22 starts with one win and four other top 10s. Twin brother Rasmus Hojgaard finished T-27 in Dubai and 35th in the R2D.

The 20-year-old Hojgaard, 133rd in the world rankings and 15th in the Race to Dubai, shared the lead at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura after birdies on Nos. 16 and 17, but he bogeyed the last to finish T-2 along with fellow countryman Lucas Bjerregaard and Frenchman Matthieu Pavon. “It’s kind of hard right now to see the positives, but I played some really good golf today and I’m proud of that, but I’m not satisfied with the finish, said Hojgaard, who broke through for his maiden victory in September at the DS Automobiles Italian Open. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to win at least one more time, a few times, in the next few years. I’m just disappointed; when you have the chance to close out a tournament and put some pressure on the guys behind and then you don’t do that, it’s tough sometimes. But there’s many positives and I’m happy.” On the season, Hojgaard has made 14 cuts in 21 starts with four top 10s including his win in Italy. He finished T-69 in his tournament debut in Portugal last season.