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.
| Nicolai Højgaard | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | 12 March 2001 Billund, Denmark |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Weight | 193 lb (88 kg) |
| Sporting nationality |  Denmark |
| Residence | Aarhus, Denmark |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2019 |
| Current tour(s) | European Tour PGA Tour |
| Former tour(s) | Challenge Tour |
| Professional wins | 4 |
| Highest ranking | 30 (28 January 2024)[1] (as of 17 November 2024) |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 3 |
| Other | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T16: 2024 |
| PGA Championship | T50: 2023 |
| U.S. Open | T50: 2024 |
| The Open Championship | T23: 2023 |
Amateur career
edit_2018_Ireland_winning_team_Denmark_with_the_Trophy._John_Axelsen,_Rasmus_%26_Nicolai_H%C3%B8jgard,_Captain_Torben_Nyehus.jpg)
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
editHøjgaard 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
editHøjgaard'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
edit- 2016 Hovborg Kro Open
- 2017 DGU Elite Tour I Herrer
- 2018 Hovborg Kro Open, European Amateur
Source:[10]
Professional wins (4)
editEuropean Tour wins (3)
edit| 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 |  Tommy Fleetwood,  Adrian Meronk
|
| 2 | 6 Feb 2022 | Ras Al Khaimah Championship | −24 (67-65-64-68=264) | 4 strokes | Jordan Smith
|
| 3 | 19 Nov 2023 | DP World Tour Championship | −21 (67-66-70-64=267) | 2 strokes | Tommy Fleetwood,  Viktor Hovland, Matt Wallace
|
Nordic Golf League wins (1)
edit| 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 |  Ludwig Nordeklint
|
Results in major championships
edit| 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 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Team appearances
editAmateur
- European Boys' Team Championship (representing Denmark): 2017 (winners)
- European Amateur Team Championship (representing Denmark): 2018
- Junior Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2018
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Denmark): 2018 (winner)
- Summer Youth Olympics mixed team event (representing Denmark): 2018
Professional
Notes
edit- ^ The DP World Tour Championship is also a Rolex Series tournament.
References
edit- ^ "Week 4 2024 Ending 28 Jan 2024" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Denmark, England, Spain and Sweden Crowned 2017 European Team Champions". European Golf Association. 17 July 2017.
- ^ "2018 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup" (PDF). World Junior Golf Team Championship Final Round Individual Results. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "2018 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup Final Round Team Results" (PDF). World Junior Golf Team Championship. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Nicolai makes it twin wins for Højgaard brothers". European Tour. 5 September 2021.
- ^ "Højgaard battles to stunning victory in Ras Al Khaimah". European Tour. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ Reid, Philip (19 November 2023). "Nicolai Højgaard's stunning finish secures DP World Tour Championship title". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ Zak, Sean (13 April 2024). "This Masters rookie seized the lead alone. What happened next hurt to watch". Golf Magazine. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Denmark Edges Out USA To Win First Eisenhower Trophy" (PDF). IGF. 8 September 2018.
- ^ "Nicolai Hojgaard". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
External links
edit- Nicolai Højgaard at the European Tour official site
- Nicolai Højgaard at the PGA Tour official site
- Nicolai Højgaard at the Official World Golf Ranking official site