A Pair of Identical Danish Twins Are in Contention on DP World Tour

A true sibling rivalry is brewing on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), that could lead to a tense Sunday finish. 

Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard—a pair of 21-year-old identical Danish twins—both sit near the top of the leaderboard at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship. Rasmus is one stroke behind the 54-hole leader, Zander Lombard, while Nicolai sits four shots from the lead.  

Nicolai is the defending champion of the UAE event, and if his twin takes home the trophy on Sunday, the pair will become the first brothers to win the same tournament on the DP World Tour. 

“I was looking at the leaderboard and I saw that he was up there” Rasmus said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow and what it’s going to bring.” 

The Danish twins have both seen success in their young careers, but they have yet to battle it out head-to-head during a Sunday finish. Nicolai is currently ranked No. 136 in the Official World Golf Ranking and has two victories, while Rasmus stands at No. 107 with three individual titles. 

The twins names are both in the mix for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, as it has yet to be officially decided whether LIV Golf members will be permitted to compete. It is likely that talented young players like the Hojgaard brothers will have to step up to the plate for Team Europe. 

Typically, the twins’s individual hot streaks have not coincided, but that could all change on Sunday at the Ras al Khaimah Championship.

Nicolai’s third round of 67 included a hole-out eagle on the 12th hole from 127 yards. Rasmus went low as well, firing off a four-under 68 with just one bogey on the 10th. 

The twins will both be chasing South Africa’s Lombard on Sunday, who is looking to capture his first victory on the DP World Tour. A bogey-free 63 helped him charge up the leaderboard to steal a 54-hole lead. 

“You don’t shoot that every day,” Lombard said. “It feels good, I did a lot of things really well. I kept it steady, kept it solid, managed to hole a few putts. I’ve knocked on a lot of doors so it would be good to get over the line.”

Between the twins on the leaderboard sits Daniel Gavins of England at 14 under par, France’s Matthieu Pavon at 13 under. Sweden’s Bjork Alexander is tied with Nicolai at 12-under.