Nicolai Højgaard
Danish professional golfer (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
_2018,_Nicolai_Højgaard.jpg)
| Nicolai Højgaard | |
|---|---|
Højgaard in 2018 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 12 March 2001 |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Weight | 193 lb (88 kg) |
| Sporting nationality |  Denmark |
| Residence | Aarhus, Denmark |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2019 |
| Current tours | European Tour PGA Tour |
| Former tour | Challenge Tour |
| Professional wins | 4 |
| Highest ranking | 30 (28 January 2024)[1] (as of 3 May 2026) |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 3 |
| Other | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T16: 2024 |
| PGA Championship | T41: 2025 |
| U.S. Open | T50: 2024 |
| The Open Championship | T14: 2025 |
Amateur career
_2018_Ireland_winning_team_Denmark_with_the_Trophy._John_Axelsen,_Rasmus_&_Nicolai_Højgard,_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
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
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
- 2016 Hovborg Kro Open
- 2017 DGU Elite Tour I Herrer
- 2018 Hovborg Kro Open, European Amateur
Source:[10]
Professional wins (4)
European Tour wins (3)
| 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)
| 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
| Tournament | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T16 | CUT | CUT | ||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T50 | T68 | T41 | |||||
| U.S. Open | T50 | ||||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | NT | T53 | T23 | T66 | T14 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 9 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2022 Open Championship – 2024 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – none
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | CUT | T27 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Team appearances
Amateur
- 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
- The DP World Tour Championship is also a Rolex Series tournament.