Golf – 2023 Ryder Cup – Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, Rome, Italy – October 1, 2023 Team Europe’s Nicolai Højgaard holds up the 2023 Team Europe trophy as he celebrates alongside Rory McIlroy and Ludwig Aberg after winning the 2023 Ryder Cup. Mangiapane/ File photo Obtain licensing rights
Nov 19 (Reuters) – He won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai by two strokes on Sunday and took home the winner’s check of three million dollars to finish second in the Race to Dubai. .
The Dane is two-strokes ahead of Victor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Wallace with a 21-under total and will move up to 50th in the world rankings.
„It’s a great way to end the season,” Højgaard said.
„It’s hard to put into words right now what happened, it’s amazing.”
Højgaard led after the first two days in Dubai but entered the final round with a three-shot lead but was able to claw back the leaderboard with a 33 on the front nine.
Wallace opened the final day with a one-stroke lead over Fleetwood and Howland, but was unable to maintain the form that saw him score nine back-to-back birdies on Saturday.
That left the Ryder Cup trio of Hojgaard, Fleetwood and Hovland to set the pace, and after nine holes, the Dane sat one-stroke out of the leading pair after hitting three birdies.
In the opening three holes on the back nine, Fleetwood took control, with Højgaard’s two birdies for one birdie and one bogey, leaving him three-strokes behind Fleetwood.
After that, it was Højgaard who overcame the deficit and hit the front with five consecutive birdies, but the 22-year-old was left sweating in the clubhouse when he missed what looked like an easy putt for a birdie on the final hole.
„It was a bit annoying going into the 12th over but we managed to bounce back with five runs and had a good chance to make it six in the 18th,” Hojgaard said.
„There’s a putt to close it out and it slips, and I thought it was really a tough moment for me, is it slipped now, should we go to the play-off.”
Hovland bogeyed his second shot on the final hole, but the Norwegian made a par to finish at 19-under, leaving Fleetwood as the man to steal Højgaard’s victory.
However, the Englishman had a bogey on the 17th and a par on the final hole, Wallace had three birdies in the final five holes to join Fleetwood and Howland on 19-under-par, and Højgaard could finally celebrate.
„I have family here, this is for family,” said an emotional Hojgaard.
„Everything they’ve put in over the years, so much hard work has gone into it, it’s unbelievable that it’s happening like this.”
World number two Rory McIlroy shot 70 on the final day to finish at 10-under par.
Reporting by Trevor Stines, Editing by Pritha Sarkar
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