The 22-year-old won his maiden Rolex Series title at the Race to Dubai Championship in November, by birdieing five of his last six holes to claim the biggest victory of his career, and he will return to the Emirate for the new four-day event at Dubai Creek Resort.

The Dubai Invitational will see a 72-hole strokeplay DP World Tour tournament played concurrently with a three-day Pro-Am team event, with Sunday featuring professionals only as Nicolai will join reigning Race to Dubai Champion Rory McIlroy in the field for the first event of 2024.

The Dane’s triumph at Jumeirah Golf Estates brought a memorable 2023 season to an end, which included victories as part of Continental Europe in the inaugural Hero Cup and Team Europe in the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, as well as earning PGA TOUR playing privileges for 2024 via the FedEx Cup.

The 2023 Ryder Cup rookie already has a victory in the United Arab Emirates with the 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Championship at Al Hamra Golf Club in his trophy cabinet.

“I love playing golf in the UAE and it’s the perfect place to start the year after the winter break,” Højgaard said. “The conditions and the setup of the golf courses clearly suit my game and I always feel confident playing in Dubai, and with the pro-am format it adds a different dimension to the event, which I think is really exciting. It should be a great week and I can’t wait to get to Dubai Creek Resort in January.”

Tournament host Abdulla Al Naboodah added: “I’m delighted Nicolai has confirmed to play. He’s had an incredible few weeks during and since the Ryder Cup. He won the RAK Championship which Phoenix Capital supported a couple of years ago, so it’s great have him in the field again in January.”

Image: Getty

The post Nicolai Højgaard set for Dubai Invitational at the Creek appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

While even before the first tee shot had been hit, Rory McIlroy had sewn up the 2023 Race to Dubai with a week to spare in a season that has seen him win two Rolex Series events, secure three top tens in Major Championships and miss just one cut on the DP World Tour.

Højgaard had led after days one and two at Jumeirah Golf Estates but entered the final round three shots off the pace before pulling himself right into contention with a front nine of 33.

He was back on top with a gain on the tenth and then reeled off five birdies in a row from the 13th to get to 21 under and hold off the challenge of his Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland and overnight leader Matt Wallace.

Fleetwood and Hovland signed for a pair of 68s, one shot less than Wallace, to sit two ahead of defending champion Jon Rahm, South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence and Frenchman Matthieu Pavon.

Højgaard finished fourth over the Earth Course in his only previous appearance at this event in 2021, catapulting himself into the top ten on that season’s final Rankings and he will finish 2023 second behind Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy.

Ryder Cup rookie Nicolai Højgaard wins the DP World Tour Championship! ???#DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/y52cIzvce4

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 19, 2023

While becoming an international player and starting his career on the PGA TOUR this year, he recorded seven DP World Tour top tens to earn his place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team, winning half a point as Luke Donald’s men defeated the United States.

He added to that tally by finishing second at last week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge and brought that form to Dubai, where he is now a three-time DP World Tour champion and enters the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.

“It means a lot, it’s the sweetest one,” he said.

“So much hard work has been put in over the past couple of years – it feels amazing, this is for family and everything they put in over the years. So much hard work going into this, for it to happen like this is unbelievable.

“We know there are a lot of birdies but we have to hit the shots and hole the putts, anything can happen we were just focused on the job today, to walk up 18 knowing there’s a good chance feels good.

“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. My game feels good, I felt good before going out and to finish it like this feels good.

“This is the sweetest way to finish the year, I cant believe we finished on such a high note, I’m definitely going to enjoy this.”

England’s Fleetwood joined the lead from ten feet at the first and it was soon a three-way tie as Hovland got up and down from the sand on the par-five second.

A monster 40-foot eagle putt on the same hole handed Fleetwood a two-shot lead but he bogeyed the fourth after finding sand off the tee and soon had company at 17 under.

Wallace made a 40-footer of his own on the sixth and ahead at the par-five seventh Hovland made a two-putt birdie before hitting the front on his own from five feet on the eighth.

The Norwegian failed to find the green in two at the next and the resulting bogey left the door open for Højgaard to join the lead.

The 22-year-old had made a two-putt gain on the fourth, holed a long putt at the fifth and hit a beautiful tee-shot into the next before putting an approach to five feet at the tenth.

Fleetwood found another gear after the turn, however, putting a pitch inside five feet on the tenth and a brilliant second to two feet at the next to move two ahead.

Højgaard had dropped a shot on the 12th but he put his tee-shot at the par-three 13th inside ten feet and then found the green at the par-five 14th in two to trim the gap to one.

Hovland also took advantage of the 14th with two putts but Højgaard was relentless, pitching from the first cut to seven feet for three birdies in a row and a share of the lead.

Nicolai Højgaard, currently tied for the lead, reaches 190mph ball speed drive at 16! ?#DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/P5EucBPN2B

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 19, 2023

Another beautiful approach to four feet at the 16th edged him ahead but Fleetwood holed a brilliant, curling 15-foot right-to-lefter on the 15th, only to see Højgaard make a fifth birdie in a row on the 17th after a tee-shot to four feet.

He missed a chance from four feet for six in a row but a Fleetwood three-putt on the 17th meant the he, Wallace and Hovland needed eagles up the last to force a play-off, a feat none of them could achieve.

Hovland added a further birdie at the 16th before parring the last after finding water, while Englishman Wallace had dropped a shot on the seventh and reeled off six pars in a row before birdies at the 14th, 15th and 17th sent him back up the leaderboard.

Spaniard Rahm and Lawrence both carded rounds of 66, with Pavon signing for a 67 to sit at 17 under, one shot clear of another Frenchman in Victor Perez and two ahead of Scot Ewen Ferguson and Dane Jeff Winther.

Image: David Cannon

The post Nicolai Højgaard wins DP World Tour Championship as Rory McIlroy hungry for more after winning fifth Race to Dubai title appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Dane arrived at the Earth Course on day two in a share of the lead but back-to-back bogeys saw him stumble and he was still a long way behind despite fighting back to turn in level par.

A birdie on the tenth signalled the start of better things, though, and he added two more before finishing birdie-eagle to come home in 30 and sign for a 66 that left him at 11 under.

His Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland were in the group in second after rounds of 66 alongside South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence – who fired the round of the day with a 64 – and Swede Jens Dantorp and Frenchman Antione Rozner, who both signed for 67s.

Højgaard may not have a win in the 2023 season but he has eight top tens – including a runner-up finish at last week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge – with three top fives in his last four DP World Tour starts.

The 22-year-old also has a runner-up finish on the PGA TOUR, with his form earning him a Captain’s Pick from Luke Donald for Europe’s thumping victory over the United States last month.

He finished in a tie for fourth in his only previous appearance at this event in 2021 and is now in pole position for a first Rolex Series victory to cap off a stunning season.

“It’s a little bit like last week,” he said. “Had a slow start in every round, basically. And then I just know on every round there’s going to be a run of birdies at some point with where my game is at. So it’s about staying patient.

“I would like to play the front nine a little bit better in the weekend but I’m very, very satisfied with how I’m playing these two rounds.

“I trust my game at the moment. It’s been a little bit shaky at times this year but I feel like we’re on track at the moment. I feel like I’ve got confidence in my shots, the selections of shots, the game-plan we’ve put in place every round. I’m very happy with how it’s going.

“I feel like (a win is) the only thing I missed this season but there’s two rounds to go. There’s a lot of really good players in this field I know that’s going to be in the hunt the next few days and I’m going to keep grinding as much as I can and put myself around, hopefully, and we’ll see on Sunday.”

A three-putt on the third and missed green at the next saw him slide down the leaderboard early on but he hit back with an approach to six feet at the fifth and a two-putt birdie on the par-five seventh.

A 21-footer on the tenth had him in red figures for the day and when he holed putts from similar range at the 13th and 15th, he was closing in on the leaders.

A tee-shot to six feet at the 17th then put him in a share and while he had to hold his breath as his tee-shot on the last looked to flirt with the water, he put his second to six feet for a closing eagle and a two-shot advantage.

Lawrence started the day four shots back but hit the front as he turned in 30 with the help of an eagle from eight feet on the second and a 66-foot putt on the sixth.

The fifth and sixth birdies of a blemish-free round on the 15th and 17th kept his nose in front but there was some serious firepower in the chasing pack and he soon had company.

Englishman Fleetwood bogeyed the fourth but took advantage of the two par-fives on the front nine and hit a nice tee-shot into the sixth before picking up four further birdies coming home, highlighted by a tap-in on the 12th and lengthy putt on the 13th.

Hovland picked up shots on the third and seventh before holing from 57 feet on the eighth and while the Norwegian gave a birdie on the 12th back on the next, he sandwiched a smart pitch on the 15th with gains on the par-five 14th and last to join the lead.

Rozner kickstarted his round with a long putt on the second and added gains on the fifth, seventh, 11th and 13th to join the lead. A bogey on the 14th dropped him out of top spot but he was back at the summit after a two-putt birdie on the last.

Højgaard’s big finish then put them all into second place but there was still time for Dantorp to join the party. The Earth Course debutant turned in 35 but came to life on the back nine, picking up four shots in five holes from the tenth before bogeying the 16th and picking the shot back up on the last.

South Africa’s Zander Lombard fired a 65 to sit at eight under alongside Frenchman Matthieu Pavon, who carded a 69, one shot clear of Frenchman Julien Guerrier, England’s Tyrrell Hatton, Scot Robert MacIntyre and Dane Thorbjørn Olesen.

Image: Getty

The post Big finish hands Nicolai Højgaard halfway lead in Dubai appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Ryder Cup star was one over after six holes and level par as he made the turn at Jumeirah Golf Estates but reeled off five birdies in six holes to sign for a 67 and get to five under.

Earlier, Earth Course debutant Guerrier was bogey-free in making the same score at the fifth Rolex Series of the event of the season before in-form countryman Pavon finished birdie-birdie to join him with a blemish-free effort of his own.

Another Frenchman in Antoine Rozner was a shot off the lead alongside Swede Jens Dantorp and Pole Adrian Meronk, one clear of Højgaard’s Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre and South Korea’s Tom Kim.

Dane Højgaard finished fourth over the Earth Course in his only previous appearance at this event in 2021, catapulting himself into the top ten on that season’s final Rankings.

Seven top tens in the 2023 season helped him earn his place in the European Team that defeated the United States in Rome and he had his best result of the campaign finishing second at last week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge.

He has brought that form to Dubai and revealed his Ryder Cup experience had given him the hunger to go to the very top as he looks for a first Rolex Series win.

“Spending time with the best players in the world, fighting for a common goal was amazing, and just being around those guys, seeing what they do, what do I do different, what do I need to work on,” he said.

“It gave me a lot of confidence going into the last end of the season here. You want to play with those guys but you also want to beat them.

“I played really well today. Drove it well from hole number one to 18, even though it was a little bit of a circus on 18, felt really solid. I got on a run. You know there’s a few chances out there, so it’s just about keep hitting good shots and stay present and I feel I did a good job today.”

Højgaard bogeyed the fourth after finding sand off the tee but took advantage of the par-five sixth before his putter came to life on the back nine.

He holed a 25-footer from off the green at the tenth and followed it with an 18-foot putt on the next. An up-and-down on the par-five 14th was then sandwiched by putts of 16 and 20 feet as he surged up the leaderboard.

Guerrier is making his first appearance at the season-ending event after qualifying thanks to three top threes, including his best DP World Tour career finish of second at the Porsche European Open.

He left himself 14 feet at the third, six feet at the fifth and holed an 18-footer at the eighth before hitting a smart approach into the tenth and making the most of the 14th.

That performance belied his debutant status and he admitted that caddie Chris Liley, a veteran of over 20 years on Tour, was a big help.

“I just tried to be really disciplined because I don’t really know this course,” said Guerrier. “My caddie has more experience on this course than me, so I just listen to him. I try to play in the zone and I did it correctly.

“It’s a really tough course. It’s very demanding from the tee because if you are in the rough, it’s really difficult to hit the greens and it’s not too firm, the greens, actually. So it’s more friendly.”

Pavon recently claimed his first DP World Tour title at the acciona Open de España presented by Madrid and has since added two further top 20s in his last three events.

He put approaches to six feet at the fifth and 11th, took advantage of the 14th and then almost aced the 17th before holing a 40-footer on the last.

“What I’ve really released is now I know with my team, we were working on the right way,” he said. “For sure, I had a great, solid year, many top tens but I was missing something to get my first victory and I finally got it in Madrid.

“It’s more confirmation of what we achieve with my team so far and it was nice to have it done a few weeks ago and put me in a good way mentally to play these last two tournaments of the year.”

Meronk is already a three-time winner this season and he holed his second at the fifth from 130 yards for an eagle, the highlight of a round that also contained four birdies and two bogeys.

Dantorp played his way into this event last week and he carded six birdies and two bogeys, with Rozner dropping a single shot in his 68.

Kim was the only bogey-free player in the group at three under, which sat a shot ahead of English pair Dan Bradbury and Tyrrell Hatton, Swede Alexander Björk and Dane Thorbjørn Olesen.

Rory McIlroy has already wrapped up the Race to Dubai title and he was at one under, a shot clear of playing partner and defending champion Jon Rahm.

Image: DP World Tour

The post Nicolai Højgaard among leading trio in Dubai appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

As golfers tend to be, Jon Rahm was in fine fettle after a five-under 67 in the second round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Even better, the Masters champion compiled such a creditable figure after a double-bogey-par-bogey start to his day that surely had him, at least briefly, considering the halfway cut more than adding the DP World’s most prestigious title to his list of victories.

Still, a subsequent eagle and six birdies speedily put paid to any negativity and rocketed the Spaniard to six-under and only a few shots from the lead.

“I’m obviously extremely pleased,” said Rahm, who shot 62 here last year en route to a runner-up finish behind Shane Lowry. “If you’re going to get a start like that at least you have time to make it up. I told [caddie] Adam [Hayes] to maybe forget about the cut and other things, to maybe see if we can stand on the 10th tee even par [for the day]. I thought it was a good goal to set and I hit it a lot of great shots coming in and took advantage of enough opportunities.”

At which point the conversation veered into the inevitable (the Ryder Cup) and the surprising (Kobe Bryant). Chatting with Nicolai Højgaard in Italy during the European Ryder Cup team’s expedition to the Marco Simone course, where later this month Europe will attempt to wrest the Ryder Cup back from US hands, Rahm discovered he and the young Dane shared a common love of the late Los Angeles Lakers star.

From which evolved an evocative tale.

“I didn’t really know Nicolai before Monday in Rome,” said Rahm. “I don’t think I’d ever spoken to him before besides ‘hello’ and ‘good round.’ But I learned he’s a Kobe fan. I’m a massive fan as well, so that’s something we have in common that maybe I wouldn’t have figured out until it was too late. I don’t think a lot of people realise how many people Kobe impacted with his work ethic and his approach to basketball and life until after he passed. Then all the stories came out and you got to see the truth. Before that maybe he wasn’t the most liked player in the world.”

Ah, but there was more to come. Asked why he was such an admirer of Bryant, Rahm was off and running.

“I’ve no idea, because I didn’t really grow up watching basketball in Spain, especially the NBA,” he said. “Once I got to the US I was researching people to learn from and obviously the name Kobe Bryant came up. When you search ‘work ethic’ on YouTube, his name’s popped up. I came across him giving a talk while he was still playing which caught my eye. It was about what he thought and how he approached the game and his mentality towards the pressure moments. I became a fan. To hear his life story and what he did what was quite impressive.”

Sadly, Rahm never got the chance to meet one of his sporting idols. But he came close.

“Funnily enough we finished Sunday at Farmers the day Kobe passed and I was supposed to meet him two days after that,” Rahm continued. “We have a friend in common and he arranged it. I’ve met a lot of impressive athletes before and I’d never been this excited before in my life. I had a long list of questions for him because I’d heard from people he was very welcoming towards that and he was going to give me advice. I guess we’ll never know but that’s the impact he had and me. I talked with Nicolai about that a little bit on the course, just before both of us started making a couple of birdies. We both had a bit of the ‘Mamba mentality’ influencing us.”

The post Jon Rahm pleased to discover one of his Ryder Cup teammates shares same reverence for Kobe Bryant appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It was a little more than a year ago that the Old World club’s leader Henrik Stenson vacated his captaincy by departing to LIV Golf, and a number of LIV Golf players such as Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter vacated their DP World Tour memberships, making themselves ineligible for the biennial match. But the Europeans are welcoming in a new era, one highlighted by Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick and bolstered by automatic qualifiers Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre. On Monday, those six qualifiers were joined by captain’s picks in Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard.

Is this team good enough to retake the cup and continue the European home-winning streak that dates back to 1993? Our editors offer their instant analysis at Stenson’s replacement, Luke Donald’s picks and how the Europeans stack up as they prepare to make the trip to Italy and Marco Simone at the end of September.

Biggest surprise among the captain’s picks?

Nicolai Hojgaard. He’s deserving, with three finishes of T-6 or better in his last six starts. And there was a real possibility Ludvig Aberg’s European Masters win would have cannibalized Hojgaard’s chances, in that there was theoretically room on the Euro roster for one upstart but not two. Give Donald credit; it’s a fun and “sexy” decision, but above all else it’s a decision that’s brazen. —Joel Beall

Stacy Revere

Just as we saw with Zach Johnson’s American selections, Donald was fairly predictable, for the most part, with his six. Aberg’s addition will raise eyebrows in some corners, but only among those not paying attention. The kid was on the express escalator to this day even before he won Sunday’s European Masters. —Dave Shedloski

I’m having a hard time being surprised by just about anything Donald did with his picks, even picking the palpably off-form Shane Lowry. Having six captain’s selections was always going to offer him a safety net, which is important for the Europeans. Much more than the Americans, they need to have a system in place that will absolutely identify what the captain sees as absolutely the best 12 available. The standard of player on the DP World Tour drops off pretty significantly once you get past the obvious names. Not as much as it used to, admittedly. Things are changing. But that fact remains a factor in every Ryder Cup calculation across the pond. —John Huggan

About half this European team could be considered surprising if you strip out the context around them. But when you take a step back, it’s truly incredible Aberg is on this team. Not because he isn’t a very good player (he is), or because he couldn’t become a generational one (as Donald says), but because his inclusion is basically unprecedented. Aberg is the first player in history to make a Ryder Cup team without playing in a major, and no player in the modern era has made the team so soon after turning pro. Not Rory McIlroy, or Jon Rahm, or Sergio Garcia, or Nick Faldo, or any other European Ryder Cup greats. —Luke Kerr-Dineen

Biggest snub?

Adrian Meronk, obviously. What looked like a very complicated European picture clarified over the last couple weeks, to the point there were really only 13 players Luke Donald could have taken. Meronk was No. 13, and I don’t think he deserved to be. For all the talk of an “old boys club” on the U.S. side, I can’t think of a better way to describe the selection of Shane Lowry, who doesn’t have either the recent form or the Ryder Cup pedigree (1-2 in his lone appearance) to make him an obvious pick over Meronk, who won three times this season—including at the host course!!!—and was better than Lowry in the second half of the summer. —Shane Ryan

Meronk is the player with the biggest, most legitimate gripe. He currently sits third on the Race to Dubai, and is the Australian Open, Irish Open and Italian Open champion. And the last of those titles was won on the Marco Simone course that will host the Ryder Cup later this month. Then there is Meronk’s style of play. The man makes birdies for fun. By way of recent example, he made 20, plus one eagle, in the European Masters that concluded just yesterday. And his overall form this year has been excellent. Other than his victories, he has four other top-10s and three more finishes between 10th and 20th. Based on Donald’s repeated public assertions that he would select “in-form” players, the Englishman has let down Meronk. —J.H.

Octavio Passos

Meronk is the obvious one. But a quick word of respect for Victor Perez. Perez is out of form, which ultimately cost him. But three career DP World Tour wins and fourth in the Race to Dubai is an impressive track record for a player who is still young. Hopefully we’ll see him on Team Europe in the future. —L.K.D.

Meronk. The others all noted he won at the Ryder Cup site earlier this year and has been playing well since spring. Conversely, he’s in that purgatory where he’s too old to be young (Hojgaard, Aberg) and too young to be considered part of the old guard (Rose, Lowry). By not grabbing the final DP World Tour points spot, Meronk left himself vulnerable to politics. —J.B.

Pick that might haunt Donald?

Shane Lowry. As I said regarding Meronk’s non-selection, Donald asserted more than once that form would be a big factor in his thinking when it came to captain’s picks. On that basis, Lowry has no business making a second appearance in the Ryder Cup. His only solid performances this year are in the Masters (T-16), the PGA (T-12) and the U.S. Open (T-20). It’s is possible to build a case, then, for his inclusion around some sort of “he’s the man for the big occasion” theory. For me though, and as much as I am an unashamed Lowry fan, his selection represents a huge risk. If he arrives in Italy playing the same as he has done for most of this year, he is going to be not much more than a passenger Europe can ill afford. —J.H.

Warren Little

Probably Hojgaard, though had Donald picked Meronk, then that pick would have been questioned just as much. It’s likely Hojgaard won’t see much action—one team match and singles. —Dave Shedloski

Sepp Straka doesn’t get the respect he deserves from European fans because of how much golf he’s played in the U.S. over his career. As a fellow transatlatic talent person, I’ve always had a soft spot for Straka, a player who is only getting better. He belongs on this team, and the ones he’ll be on in the future. But unfairly or not, rookie/captain’s picks always come into the event with a sharper focus on them. If Straka doesn’t grab a few points, I could see some wondering if Donald didn’t scrutinize Straka enough. —L.K.D.

I’m one of those people who believes even if Justin Thomas goes 0-5 in Rome, it was the correct move to pick him based on his 16-5-3 record in team match play. But Donald’s selection of Lowry doesn’t hit the quite the same for me. Again, the man is 1-2 in his lone appearance, in iffy form—he didn’t even play the last European event—and if he lays an egg in Rome, I think Donald should be in for some deserved second-guessing. —S.R.

Overall impression of the European team?

As a thought experiment this roster is alluring, almost a perfect alchemy of youth and experience, of firepower and fortitude. The Hojgaard and Aberg picks are as exciting as captain’s selections can be. Winning the press conference does not guarantee winning the match, and the Euro team still lacks the depth of their American counterparts. Still, Donald’s club will be a formidable unit, one more than capable of winning back the Ryder Cup. —J.B.

This team has a really nice balance between truly elite players (Rahm, McIlroy, Hovland), a core with experience (Fitzpatrick, Fleetwood, Lowry, Hatton, Rose) and young talent with potential to grow with the team (Straka, Aberg, Hojgaard, Macintyre). Yes, as one of Golf Digest’s resident Europeans, I’m biased. But if you’re a fan of Team Europe, you should be pleased with how this team came together. Forza! —L.K.D.

Stuart Franklin

Beyond the very slight Lowry-over-Meronk controversy, Donald has to be feeling pretty great about his team. Hovland is the hottest player in the world, Rahm is a killer and the entire top half of the team seems to be in great form. The question marks were always going to be near the bottom, but the addition of recent winner Aberg feels massive, and smart, and when you combine all that with the fact that they’re playing at home, this team looks really, really good. The panic that came with the LIV defections can safely be stowed; Europe is ready. —S.R.

Donald has done a commendable job in assembling a decent team given the challenges of this era. It’s top-heavy, reminiscent of some American squads led by Tiger and Phil and some very good players. That could be a problem. That said, Europe’s players have a way of congealing when they are defending home turf. A lot will be on the shoulders of Rahm, McIlroy and Hovland, three of the top four players in the world, but if they gut up and get assists from Fitzpatrick and captain’s picks Fleetwood, Lowry and Rose, another U.S. setback abroad is in the cards. Oh, and let’s not discount the smackdown Europe received at Whistling Straits as a motivator. —D.S.

Whether it turns out to be a good or a bad thing remains to be seen, but this European team reminds me of the sides that turned the Ryder Cup tide back in the 1980s. Four decades ago captain Tony Jacklin built a winning formula around a group of truly world-class players like Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam backed up by guys like Howard Clark, Mark James, Sam Torrance and Ken Brown, all one notch below that level. I see what Donald has available in a similar light. in fact, he might be in even better shape. Where Jacklin originally had five superstars, then two more in Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal, maybe half of Donald’s side are similarly transcendent talents. —J.H.

The post Did Luke Donald get it right with his 2023 European Ryder Cup team? Our writers explore surprises, snubs and any lingering questions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Danish star Nicolai Højgaard insists he is not getting distracted by Ryder Cup talk as he focuses on winning the Czech Masters in Prague.

The 22-year-old is one behind Alexander Bjork at the Albatross Golf Resort, and is out of the running in the points lists for the European team, but may turn Luke Donald’s head and get in contention for a captain’s pick with performances like the one on Friday.

A blemish-free 67 on Friday took him to 12-under thanks to five birdies to go with his Thursday 65.

“I didn’t drive it as well as I did yesterday, it was playing a little bit more tricky out there. I hit some good approach shots and rolled a couple of putts,” Højgaard said. “I’m really happy being bogey-free in a round like this when I feel like it wasn’t as good. There’s work to do at the weekend and I’m looking forward to it.

“Everyone in this field wants to play in the Ryder Cup. You can feel it getting closer.

“The only thing you can do is focus on yourself, do your preparation, do your work, go out and do your best and hopefully we can be in Luke’s mind when we get to after Switzerland. We are just trying to go out and do as good as we can, hopefully that’ll be good enough.”

The post Nicolai Hojgaard insists he is not getting distracted amid Ryder Cup talk appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

But they needn’t have worried. The answer is that, for the first time, identical twins Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard were competing in the same major at Oak Hill.

The 22-year-olds from Denmark have collectively competed at five majors in the past — but never at the same time. And as they teed off in a chilly Rochester, New York, on Thursday, it was a proud moment for father Ole.

Proud Dad moment ??

Today Ole Højgaard will watch his twin sons Nicolai & Rasmus Højgaard play a major championship together for the first time.

#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/s8fGo87sBh

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 18, 2023

“It means a lot for the family because they have been competing for a long time now and for them to be both be here at a Major now is a huge thing for us,” he told the DP World Tour.

Rasmus has picked up three professional titles so far in his career (2019 Mauritius Open, 2020 ISPS Handa UK Championship, Omega European Masters), while Nicolai has claimed the 2021 Italian Open and the 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Championship.

Nicolai Hojgaard gets a hug from brother Rasmus after winning the Italian Open in 2021. Luke Walker

Nicolai was also the European amateur champion in 2018, and the pair won the Eisenhower Trophy the same year.

Unfortunately, Rasmus will not play the weekend after finishing on nine-over on Friday on a tough, tough course, but Nicolai is in a healthy T-35 on three-over after a brilliant second-round 67 vaulted him up the leaderboard.

“We have been talking about the course a lot here,” Ole added. “It is a difficult course, it will be a test for both of them but they are both excited to be here. For me, I don’t just think it is a long hitters course. It is narrow and the rough is very tough.”

But just being here as a family is special for Ole. “Every time we are together it is like being home,” he said. “It is very nice having dinner together, having some chit chats and we have a lot of fun. It’s really nice to be together with them.”

The post Højgaard twins have fans seeing double at the PGA Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 21-year-old will be joined by 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Classic champion Ryan Fox and twin brother Rasmus for the $2 million DP World Tour event on February 2-5.

RELATED: Ras Al Khaimah Championship returns to DP World Tour schedule
Danish delight as Højgaard claims Ras Al Khaimah title

The Dane battled to his second DP World Tour title at last season’s tournament, winning by four strokes from Jordan Smith as he carded a four-under final round.

As Højgaard wobbled during the last day at Al Hamra, Smith moved two strokes ahead with six to play. But the youngster kept his cool and finished with three birdies and an eagle to seal the famous victory.

The tournament will be the last of the ‘UAE Swing’ series of events at the start of the year. It follows on from the Hero Cup — a new team match play event — and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and Dubai Desert Classic, the first two Rolex Series events of the 2023 season.

“It’s always nice having the opportunity to defend a title and I’m really looking forward to returning to Al Hamra next year,” said Højgaard. “It was a great final-day battle with Jordan, so to fight back the way I did on the back nine and win by four shots was really satisfying.

“It’s a great venue and the course really suits my eye, so hopefully I can feed off some good memories and have another strong week. It’ll be a great finish to the run of events we have in the UAE at the start of the year.”

Three-time DP World Tour winner Rasmus, Nicolai’s identical twin brother, will be lining up once again alongside compatriot Thomas Bjørn, who famously captained Europe to Ryder Cup victory at Le Golf National in 2018.

New Zealand’s Fox, who won the Ras Al Khaimah Classic as part of a double-header at the venue earlier this year, will be looking for a similar bright start to the season as he went on to have a stellar campaign in 2022 following his triumph in RAK. He finished second to Rory McIlroy on the DP World Tour Rankings.

The post Ras Al Khaimah champions Nicolai Hojgaard and Ryan Fox returning to Al Hamra appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The tournament, which will feature on the schedule for a minimum of three years, will be the final of four jam-packed weeks in the region, following the recently announced Hero Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and back-to-back Rolex Series events at Yas Links and Emirates Golf Club.

During the last edition in Ras Al Khaimah, Nicolai Højgaard sealed a second DP World Tour title, emerging from a roller-coaster final day with a four-stroke victory courtesy of an array of world-class recovery shots.

“This is another significant milestone for Ras Al Khaimah as we welcome the world’s best golfers over the next three years,” said Raki Phillips, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority. “Following the success of the inaugural edition of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship on the DP World Tour earlier this year, we are excited to be welcoming back some of the biggest names in golf for a second edition.

“As one of the fastest growing destinations in the region we are proud to be able to showcase Ras Al Khaimah as a leading nature, adventure and sporting destination in the region. The Emirate boasts a strong track record of hosting large international sporting events, including 16 editions of the fastest half marathon in the world – Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon and the region’s first World Minifootball Cup in 2023. Supported by our backdrop of stunning landscapes and world-class tourism offering, we look forward to making next year’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship even bigger and better.”

Benoy Kurien, Group CEO of Al Hamra, owner of the host venue, Al Hamra Golf Club, added: “It was a privilege for Al Hamra Golf Club to host the very first DP World Tour event in the Emirate earlier this year, and we’re thrilled that some of the world’s finest golfers will return next year for the second edition of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship.

“Al Hamra Golf Club enjoys a long-term association with the European Tour group, having hosted the DP World Tour’s top players in the past. We are delighted to continue our partnership and look forward to working alongside our partners at RAKTDA to deliver yet another world-class tournament for local and international fans against the backdrop of the Arabian Gulf and the Hajjar Mountains.”

Following a busy year which will feature a minimum of 39 tournaments in 26 countries, the DP World Tour will end the season at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, with the fifth and final Rolex Series event of the season giving players one last shot at claiming the iconic Harry Vardon Trophy.

You may also like:
Get your FREE November issue of Golf Digest Middle East here
DP World Tour Championship to be greenest yet
Rory shows of funny side and impressive trophy room
Famous Tiger Woods golf ball up for auction
Lydia Ko having ‘best season of her life’
Scheffler can steal back No. 1 from Rory
Nelly and Lexi in for QBE Shootout
Dubai’s Chiara Noja on a stellar 12 months as a pro
Tiger and Rory to play in ‘The Match’
Bubba says he was paid guaranteed money from PGA Tour to appear in events 
DP World Tour announces guaranteed pay for players and launches 2023 calendar
Koepka leads LIV fleet at International Series Morocco
Top tips from Butch Harmon

The post Ras Al Khaimah Championship returns to DP World Tour schedule appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.