Was the Corales Puntacana Championship a foretaste of things to come?
Many believe Rasmus Hojgaard, 21, and his identical twin, Nicolai, to be the future faces of European golf. Each has won on the DP World Tour numerous times, and the two Danes are now making the transition to the PGA Tour. On the Florida swing, Nicolai made his Tour debut, missing the cut at Bay Hill and PGA National. Last season, Rasmus made six starts, with no top-25 finishes and three missed cuts.
But it was Rasmus, in his 2022 Tour debut, who gained sibling bragging rights in Puntacana, where the two made their first Tour start together. Nicolai missed the cut, but Rasmus scored three consecutive 67s en route to a solo sixth place finish at 14 under par, three strokes behind winner Chad Ramey.
“It’s fantastic. Due to an injury, I haven’t played much golf in the last month and a half. So, because I felt like my body was ready to play, I decided to give it a shot and see how well I could do “After the final round, Rasmus commented. “Yes, it came out beautifully. There have been three consecutive 67s, so there is some continuity there.”
Rasmus earned a berth in the Valero Texas Open next week after finishing in the top ten for the first time on the PGA Tour. And, while he’s looking forward to what’s to come, he’ll be in unknown territory.
He admitted, “I don’t know anything (about San Antonio).” “I watched a little bit of (the Valero Texas Open) last year when Jordan [Spieth] won, but I can’t tell you much about it.”
Getting into next week’s field, on the other hand, indicates that Rasmus is progressing in the right direction. He and Nicolai, who entered this week ranked No. 77 in the world, 42 spots ahead of Rasmus, are hoping that courses like TPC San Antonio — and many others across the Atlantic — will become more familiar.
“Yes, 100 percent, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, We both want to play over here, so it’s a goal for both of us “When asked if he wants to play on the Tour more, Rasmus responded yes. “This is — we’re having a good time over here as well. It’s only a matter of taking the first step.”
Rasmus will take another step toward his objective in Texas, but this time it will be without his sibling. He does, however, expect to spend additional weeks with Nicolai, similar to the one he had in Puntacana. Then, perhaps, the next great athletic sibling combo will emerge.
“It’s just good to hang out with someone,” Rasmus added. “It makes everything a little more enjoyable. Then, of course, on the golf course, we can discuss what we observe and what we think is noteworthy. That is how I believe we may assist each other.”
