Nicolai Højgaard

Nicolai Højgaard (born 12 March 2001) is a Danish professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour and European Tour. As an amateur he won the 2018 European Amateur and was part of the Danish team winning the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy. In 2021, he and his twin brother Rasmus became the first brothers to win in back-to-back weeks on the European Tour.

Nicolai Højgaard
Personal information
Born (2001-03-12) 12 March 2001
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 (special temporary member)
Former tour(s)Challenge Tour
Professional wins3
Highest ranking67 (6 February 2022)[1]
(as of 22 October 2023)
Number of wins by tour
European Tour2
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipT50: 2023
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT23: 2023

Amateur career
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

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.

Personal life

Højgaard's twin brother Rasmus is a professional golfer and was also part of the Danish team that won the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy.[7]

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

Source:[8]

Professional wins (3)

European Tour wins (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

Nordic Golf League wins (1)
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

Results not in chronological order before 2019 and in 2020.

Tournament 201820192020202120222023
Masters Tournament
PGA Championship CUT T50
U.S. Open
The Open Championship CUT NT T53 T23
  Did not play

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

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

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

References
  1. "Week 6 2022 Ending 6 Feb 2022" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  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. "Denmark Edges Out USA To Win First Eisenhower Trophy" (PDF). IGF. 8 September 2018.
  8. "Nicolai Hojgaard". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
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