Rasmus Højgaard and his twin brother Nicolai have been attracting a lot of media attention. The 23-year-old Danish brothers impressed on the DP World Tour last year, especially in Dubai. Nicolai had the edge over his brother, claiming victory at the DP World Tour Championship, while Rasmus, also highly talented, had a bit of bad luck. He lost the 10th and final PGA Tour card for 2024 to Matthieu Pavon.
This setback motivated Rasmus, and he made the necessary adjustments to his game. This year, he has been phenomenal and secured his PGA Tour card for 2025. Both brothers will now have the chance to compete on the PGA, and who knows; they may even find themselves playing against each other in the future.
Ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Rasmus admitted it was tough to accept last year’s disappointment. While he was happy for his brother, being so close yet missing out on the PGA Tour card was frustrating. But this year, Rasmus has worked hard, stayed confident, and it’s paid off. The 23-year-old has every reason to be proud of his progress, and now he’s focused on finishing the season strong in his last two events.
“Yeah, sitting there last year on that Sunday was a bit rough,” Rasmus said, as reported by Irish Golfer.
“I was obviously very, very happy to see Nicolai win the tournament, but for myself, it was tough that I missed out one spot on a card for the PGA Tour. I was very motivated to come out this year and play some good golf. I’ve managed that in stretches during the year.
So yeah, it’s been a great year. I’m happy where I’m at and try to squeeze the last bit out of these two events.”
Nicolai Højgaard didn’t make an immediate impact on the PGA Tour, which is completely understandable, as every golfer needs time to adjust to a new level of competition. Robert MacIntyre has spoken about how difficult it can be at the start of your PGA Tour career, especially when you’re getting used to the new courses and the increased pressure. However, Nicolai managed to keep his PGA Tour card after a strong performance at Torrey Pines, where he finished in second place.
Rasmus Højgaard: It’s probably a good thing that Nicolai went over there to start with
Rasmus, on the other hand, continues to maintain a positive outlook, stressing that Nicolai’s experience on the PGA Tour this year could be really helpful for him. As the older brother by a few minutes, Nicolai will certainly be able to offer advice on how to adjust to the tour. Having difficult moments, he probably knows better now how to cope.
Rasmus plans to listen to his brother and make the necessary adjustments to his game. He knows it won’t be easy, as the PGA Tour is home to the best golfers in the world, but he’s ready for the challenge.
“Yeah, it’s probably a good thing that Nicolai went over there to start with,” Højgaard said.
“Now I can sort of guide myself around and hopefully not make some of the same mistakes hopefully. We talked a lot about it, and yeah, we’re going to probably find maybe a place over there and make it easier, not traveling over the Atlantic every other week.”
Rasmus Højgaard© Ten Golf / Youtube Channel
Rasmus is saying that there’s a lot going on at the moment that they need to work through, but they plan to take a couple of weeks during the off-season to figure things out. For now, though, both he and Nicolai are fully focused on their golf and staying sharp for the upcoming events.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Danish twins. Many consider them the future of golf and believe they have what it takes to become big names in the sport. The 23-year-olds have shown over the past few seasons, including this one, that they have the potential to achieve great things. The PGA Tour will be an amazing opportunity for Rasmus to prove himself on the big stage, and who knows; maybe we’ll even see him face off against his brother. That would be a very interesting scenario.
The PGA Tour is the place where you need to give your absolute best if you want to secure a card and compete with the top golfers. It’s also an incredible experience and a dream come true for any golfer. Being on the course with names like McIlroy, Scheffler, Schauffele, and others is a huge achievement and a real testament to your talent and hard work.