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Nicolai Højgaard

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Nicolai Højgaard
Personal information
Born (2001-03-12) 12 March 2001 (age 23)
Billund, Denmark
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight193 lb (88 kg)
Sporting nationality Denmark
ResidenceAarhus, Denmark
Career
Turned professional2019
Current tour(s)European Tour
PGA Tour
Former tour(s)Challenge Tour
Professional wins4
Highest ranking30 (28 January 2024)[1]
(as of 24 November 2024)
Number of wins by tour
European Tour3
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT16: 2024
PGA ChampionshipT50: 2023
U.S. OpenT50: 2024
The Open ChampionshipT23: 2023

Nicolai Højgaard (born 12 March 2001) is a Danish professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour and European Tour. In 2021, he and his twin brother, Rasmus, became the first brothers to win in back-to-back weeks on the European Tour. He also was part of the winning European 2023 Ryder Cup team.

Amateur career

[edit]
2018 Eisenhower Trophy in Ireland. The winning Danish team: Rasmus Højgaard, John Axelsen, Torben Nyehuus (captain), and Nicolai

Højgaard was part of the Danish team that won the 2017 European Boys Team Championship, beating the hosts Spain in the final.[2]

Højgaard had a successful 2018. In April he won a professional tournament, the Bravo Tours Open on the Nordic Golf League. In June he was second in the individual competition for the boys Toyota Junior World Cup, four strokes behind his brother Rasmus.[3] Denmark also won the team competition.[4] Two weeks later he won the European Amateur, a win that gained him an entry to the 2018 Open Championship. In September he was part of the Danish team that won the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy for the first time. He played for Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup later in September and in October he represented Denmark in the Youth Olympic Games.

Professional career

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Højgaard turned professional at the start of 2019. He played a mixture of Nordic Golf League and Challenge Tour events for most of the season. In September he was runner-up in the KLM Open, a European Tour event, one stroke behind Sergio García.

In September 2021, Højgaard won his first European Tour event at the DS Automobiles Italian Open winning by one shot ahead of Tommy Fleetwood and Adrian Meronk. His twin brother Rasmus had won the week before at the Omega European Masters, meaning that the Højgaard twins became the first brothers to win in back-to-back weeks on the European Tour.[5]

Højgaard picked up his second European Tour victory in February 2022 at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship. He shot 24 under par for four rounds, beating Jordan Smith by four shots.[6]

In September 2023, Højgaard played on the European team in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia, Rome, Italy. The European team won 16.5–11.5 and Højgaard went 0–2–1 including a loss in his Sunday singles match against Xander Schauffele. In November, he won the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. He shot a final round 64 to win by two shots and claim his first Rolex Series victory.[7]

In April 2024, Højgaard played in his first ever Masters Tournament. Playing alongside the world number one Scottie Scheffler on Saturday, he briefly took the solo lead with a birdie on the tenth hole before finished up the round with five straight bogeys. He finished the tournament tied for 16th.[8]

Personal life

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Højgaard's twin brother Rasmus is a professional golfer and was also part of the Danish team that won the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy.[9]

Amateur wins

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  • 2016 Hovborg Kro Open
  • 2017 DGU Elite Tour I Herrer
  • 2018 Hovborg Kro Open, European Amateur

Source:[10]

Professional wins (4)

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European Tour wins (3)

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Legend
Tour Championships (1)
Rolex Series (1)[a]
Other European Tour (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 5 Sep 2021 DS Automobiles Italian Open −13 (66-69-65-71=271) 1 stroke England Tommy Fleetwood, Poland Adrian Meronk
2 6 Feb 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Championship −24 (67-65-64-68=264) 4 strokes England Jordan Smith
3 19 Nov 2023 DP World Tour Championship −21 (67-66-70-64=267) 2 strokes England Tommy Fleetwood, Norway Viktor Hovland,
England Matt Wallace

Nordic Golf League wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner-up
1 27 Apr 2018 Bravo Tours Open
(as an amateur) 		−5 (72-74-65=211) 2 strokes Sweden Ludwig Nordeklint

Results in major championships

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Tournament 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Masters Tournament T16
PGA Championship CUT T50 T68
U.S. Open T50
The Open Championship CUT NT T53 T23 T66
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Team appearances

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Amateur

Professional

  • Hero Cup (representing Continental Europe): 2023 (winners)
  • Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2023 (winners)

Notes

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  1. ^ The DP World Tour Championship is also a Rolex Series tournament.

References

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  1. ^ "Week 4 2024 Ending 28 Jan 2024" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Denmark, England, Spain and Sweden Crowned 2017 European Team Champions". European Golf Association. 17 July 2017.
  3. ^ "2018 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup" (PDF). World Junior Golf Team Championship Final Round Individual Results. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  4. ^ "2018 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup Final Round Team Results" (PDF). World Junior Golf Team Championship. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Nicolai makes it twin wins for Højgaard brothers". European Tour. 5 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Højgaard battles to stunning victory in Ras Al Khaimah". European Tour. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  7. ^ Reid, Philip (19 November 2023). "Nicolai Højgaard's stunning finish secures DP World Tour Championship title". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  8. ^ Zak, Sean (13 April 2024). "This Masters rookie seized the lead alone. What happened next hurt to watch". Golf Magazine. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Denmark Edges Out USA To Win First Eisenhower Trophy" (PDF). IGF. 8 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Nicolai Hojgaard". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
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