Double vision: Denmark's Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard set to become first twins to play the Masters
Double vision: Denmark's Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard set to become first twins to play the Masters
Rasmus Hojgaard, left, and Nicolai Hojgaard walk to the tee on the eighth hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Rasmus Hojgaard, right, and Nicolai Hojgaard walk to the green on the seventh hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Rasmus Hojgaard, right, and Nicolai Hojgaard walk to the green on the seventh hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Rasmus Hojgaard, left, and Nicolai Hojgaard walk to the tee on the eighth hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Rasmus Hojgaard, right, and Nicolai Hojgaard walk to the green on the seventh hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rasmus Hojgaard and his identical twin brother Nicolai grew up playing golf in Denmark, occasionally pretending they were on the other side of the world at Augusta National.
'We would tell each other 'this is the putt to win the Masters,'' Rasmus said, 'and then try to compete with each other.'
Advertisement
This week they'll both have a chance to fulfill that childhood dream — all while making Masters history.
The Danish duo will become the first set of twins ever to play in the Masters together. There have been 18 sets of brothers who've played here together, most recently Italy's Eduardo and Francesco Molinari from 2010-2012, but none have been twins.
'I think we really started watching the Masters when we were about 10, 11 years old,' Rasmus said. 'So 2012 when Bubba (Watson) won was probably the first real memory we have of the place. Yeah, it's nice to be here now.'
This is Nicolai's second Masters.
Advertisement
He actually led last year's tournament for 10 holes in the third round, only to fall out of contention after shooting 74 and 76 on the weekend. He finished tied for 16th. It was Nicolai's best finish in nine majors, but not enough to earn an automatic bid to this year's tournament since only the top 12 are guaranteed a spot. He received a special invitation to play the Masters this year.
Rasmus is making his first Masters appearance, earning his way in after finishing in the top 50 in the world rankings last year. This will be his seventh major.
On Sunday, the 24-year-old twins toured the historic course together and Nicolai pointed out some tips to his slightly younger brother on how to navigate one of golf's toughest challenges this week since Rasmus has never played here. That preceded a joint news conference on Tuesday, where they inadvertently wound up 'twinning' after showing up in similar outfits.
'Completely random,' Nicolai joked.
Advertisement
The twins would be nearly indecipherable if not for Rasmus' slightly longer hair.
There have been other twins in golf, but none quite as accomplished as the Hojgaards. Rasmus ranks 55th in the world and has won five times on the European Tour, two more than his brother. Nicolai ranks 82nd and was a member of the winning European Ryder Cup team in 2023.
They won't be playing in the same group at the Masters on Thursday, however.
Nicolai will be in the second threesome on the course, while Rasmus tees off in the afternoon.
There was a time that might have been a good thing. Growing up, the twins were extremely competitive on the course and didn't always get along. When one brother beat the other they would often go days without speaking to one another.
Advertisement
'I don't think we supported each other very much back then,' Rasmus said. 'We would fight a lot more than saying congratulations.'
There are no regrets, though.
Nicolai said that fierce sibling rivalry helped shape and drive them to get to where they are today.
"That helped a certain amount, really wanting to beat each other and that competitive edge we both have,' Nicolai said.
Times have since changed somewhat, though.
The twins have matured and are now big supporters of each other's game and the successes that have come along with it. They can often be seen practicing together and helping each other as much as possible when their games veer off course.
Advertisement
'We got older and we can shake each other's hand now and say congrats when someone is playing well — and be brothers as well and friends at the same time,' Nicolai said.
But the competitiveness will always be there.
So what happens if the other brother knocks off defending champion Scottie Scheffler and gets to wear the green jacket on Sunday?
'Probably be very frustrating,' Rasmus said with a long laugh. 'No, I think it would be very cool. It would be very cool. If something like that happens, I think we'll deal with it at the time, but I think it's hard to sit here and try and explain what that would feel like."
'Agree,' added Nicolai.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
PSG aims for Club World Cup glory after historic Champions League win
Los Angeles FC players celebrate a goal by Igor Jesus during the second half of a FIFA Club World Cup play-in soccer match against the Club América, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong) FILE - Edinson Cavani of Argentina's Boca Juniors strikes the ball during a Copa Sudamericana Group D soccer match against Bolivia's Nacional Potosi at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File( FILE - Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez shoots to score the opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Slovan Bratislava at Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File) FILE - Teammates celebrate with Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10), center, after he scored his side's second goal against Columbus Crew during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File) FILE - PSG's Desire Doue scores his side's second goal past Inter Milan's Federico Dimarco, left, during the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File) FILE - PSG's Desire Doue scores his side's second goal past Inter Milan's Federico Dimarco, left, during the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File) Los Angeles FC players celebrate a goal by Igor Jesus during the second half of a FIFA Club World Cup play-in soccer match against the Club América, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong) FILE - Edinson Cavani of Argentina's Boca Juniors strikes the ball during a Copa Sudamericana Group D soccer match against Bolivia's Nacional Potosi at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File( FILE - Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez shoots to score the opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Slovan Bratislava at Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File) FILE - Teammates celebrate with Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10), center, after he scored his side's second goal against Columbus Crew during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File) FILE - PSG's Desire Doue scores his side's second goal past Inter Milan's Federico Dimarco, left, during the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File) Just weeks after winning the Champions League for the first time in its history, Paris Saint-Germain's eyes are now fixed on FIFA's shiny new Club World Cup. The newly-crowned European champion can add the world title to a trophy haul that also included a French league and cup double this season. Advertisement 'We want to finish the season in style with the cherry on the cake,' coach Luis Enrique said. PSG had already qualified for the rebooted Club World Cup in the United States, but its Champions League triumph may still have come as a relief to FIFA. That's because, while the winner of the bumper tournament will officially be crowned the best club soccer team in the world, there are some notable absentees from the 32-team roster. Some big names are missing The Club World Cup will be without the champion of the most popular league in the world — the Premier League — given Liverpool's failure to meet the qualifying criteria. Advertisement The same goes for Barcelona and Napoli -- champions of Spain and Italy, respectively. No place either for current Asian champion Al-Ahli from Saudi Arabia or Pyramids — the African champion from Egypt. FIFA likely breathed a sigh of relief then when PSG and Inter Milan advanced to the final of the Champions League, with both teams having already secured their place at the Club World Cup via ranking points for recent runs in Europe's top club competition. Had either of the losing semifinalists — Barcelona or Arsenal — gone on to lift the trophy, then the flagship new tournament would have been without the reigning champion of Europe as well. The qualifying criteria were based on winners of continental trophies in the four years prior to the tournament, but not including the season directly before it. Advertisement That's why Chelsea — Champions League winner in 2021 — has a seat at the table despite finishing fourth in the Premier League last month. Chelsea is arriving at the Club World Cup with a new team, coach and even owners since it won the Champions League four years ago. The club is one of 12 from Europe, including stellar names like Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Inter and Juventus. South American clubs are Europe's top rivals Some of Latin America's biggest teams are in the tournament — including reigning Copa Libertadores champion Botafogo from Brazil. Three other Brazilian teams have qualified: Palmeiras, Flamengo and Fluminense. Advertisement Argentina's famous rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors will also be there — and are expected to be backed by thousands of fans traveling to the U.S. It is the Latin American contingent that likely will likely present the biggest challenge to the European teams. 'Everyone wants to compete — the question is how you prepare to win, to try to win. That's what challenges me,' said Marcelo Gallardo, River Plate head coach. 'I want to win. I don't want to just go and see what happens.' Will it work? FIFA president Gianni Infantino believes the tournament is what the sport has been waiting for — a world championship for club soccer. Advertisement 'For the first time in history, the 32 best clubs in the world will compete in a tournament to determine finally who is the best club in the world,' he said this week. In its previous format, which involved a mini-tournament of just seven teams instead of 32, it never fully captured global interest. Played in the middle of the season for Europe's top leagues, it had the feel of an exhibition, rather than a serious tournament. European teams dominated the modern era, winning all but one of the last 17 editions. The new format will be a much more exacting examination of the eventual winner — not least because there are so many teams from Europe, but also because there has been a marked drive to improve levels in countries like the U.S. and Saudi Arabia following a slew of star signings such as Lionel Messi, who has transformed Inter Miami. However, it remains unclear how much of an appetite there is among fans for another elite tournament in a calendar that is already saturated. Advertisement Details on ticket sales have not been released, but prices have dropped as the tournament has drawn closer and seats for the opening game between Al Ahly and Inter Miami on Saturday were still available this week. Marriott Bonvoy, a U.S. Soccer Federation partner, has been offering free tickets to some of its elite members for some games. It also remains to be seen what the television viewing figures will be, with the tournament broadcast globally on streaming service DAZN, which has also made 24 matches available with English-language commentary to TNT in the U.S. Eye-catching matches Al Ahly vs. Inter Miami, June 14, Miami Advertisement Five years after its MLS debut, Inter Miami — the team owned by David Beckham — will kick off in the first game of the Club World Cup. Its opponent in the opener is Egypt's Al Ahly — the winner of a record 12 African championships. It's likely to be party time at the Hard Rock Stadium, but the chance of Al Ahly spoiling Miami's big day is very real. PSG vs. Atletico Madrid, June 15, Los Angeles It will be an early test for PSG against Atletico. This is the type of match that could grace the later stages of any Champions League campaign between two of Europe's finest. Chelsea vs. LAFC, June 16, Atlanta Advertisement LAFC got in through the back door via a playoff against Club America of Mexico and its reward is an opening game against two-time Champions League winner Chelsea. Real Madrid vs. Al-Hilal, June 18, Miami The anticipation around this one would have been so much more intense had Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal not released Neymar in January, but it still has other star signings like striker Aleksandar Mitrovic. Madrid has a new coach in Xabi Alonso, who can get off to a flying start by winning the world title. PSG vs. Botafogo, June 19, Los Angeles Champions League winner against the reigning Copa Libertadores champion. This is the type of match that would have been the final in the tournament's previous guise — the best of Europe vs. the best of Latin America. Advertisement Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors, June 20, Miami Two soccer giants from different continents clash at the Hard Rock Stadium. This is what this tournament is all about. Expect an electric atmosphere with Boca's fans likely to massively outnumber those cheering on German champion Bayern. Inter Milan vs. River Plate, June 25, Seattle Another clash of continental titans. Champions League runner-up Inter takes on Argentine giant River Plate. Juventus vs. Manchester City, June 26, Orlando City may have relinquished its Premier League title and ended the season empty-handed for the first time eight years, but there's still chance for Pep Guardiola to salvage the campaign with the world title. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
U.S. Open Thursday live updates, leaderboard: Can anyone catch Scottie Scheffler at Oakmont?
The third major championship of the season is here, and all eyes are on Scottie Scheffler. The U.S. Open kicks off on Thursday from Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh, where a $21.5 million purse is up for grabs. Scheffler, the top-ranked golfer in the world, is starting off the week as the biggest favorite the event has seen in 16 years. Advertisement Scheffler has won three of his last four starts and has absolutely dominated the golf world in recent weeks. He won the PGA Championship by five shots last month, too, to claim his third major championship title. A win for him this week would bring him just a British Open away from completing the career grand slam. There are plenty of others to keep an eye on this week, too. Rory McIlroy, who won the Masters earlier this season, appears to be still enjoying his win — and that's taking a toll on his game. Bryson DeChambeau, who seems to be the only LIV Golf guy that is constantly in the mix this year, is apparently on the clock when it comes to his contract with the Saudi Arabian-backed league. And, of course, the rough. Everybody is talking about the rough at Oakmont, which is expected to provide plenty of carnage. That's a good thing, right? Stick with Yahoo Sports for all of the updates throughout the opening round of the U.S. Open. Advertisement How to watch the 2025 U.S. Open All times ET Thursday, June 12 USA: 6 a.m. - 5 p.m. Peacock: 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Friday, June 13 NBC: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m. Peacock: 6:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Saturday, June 14 USA: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. NBC: 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday, June 15 USA: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. NBC: 12 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Wall Street Journal
The Bunker Specifically Designed to Torment the World's Best Golfers
When renowned golf architect Gil Hanse was asked to renovate the course at Oakmont Country Club ahead of this week's U.S. Open, he knew it presented two fundamental challenges. First, he had to make sure it was fiendishly difficult. After all, Oakmont has been regarded as one of the toughest courses around ever since it was established more than a century ago. But he also had to make sure it was fair—a course that strategically tests players is far more interesting than one that's just plain cruel. As Hanse sat down to consider those twin objectives, he began to realize that he was staring at one of the conundrums that has come to define modern golf. Today's top players can smash a small white ball farther than ever before. But the distance between the biggest hitters and everyone else is just as much of a problem. While Masters champion Rory McIlroy and reigning U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau can routinely drive the ball in excess of 330 yards, others in the field might be happy to land within 50 yards of that. Which creates a peculiar question for course designers like Hanse. How do you create an equitable challenge for the best golfers on the planet when there's such an enormous disparity between how far they hit the ball? The answer lies just left of the fairway on the seventh hole at Oakmont, where a small patch of sand could decide who wins the next major championship. 'Some of the field is really going to have to think about it,' said Hanse, before adding that two players in particular might not be so concerned. 'Rory and Bryson aren't really going to have to think that much.' For decades now, the sport has wrestled about what to do about the increase in power of today's biggest hitters. Augusta National, host of the Masters, has warned against the day when the course would have to stretch to 8,000 yards in length. Governing bodies have already unveiled plans to roll back cutting-edge golf ball technology. Over the years, organizers haven't been afraid to target individual players. When Tiger Woods took over the game in the late 1990s, it was simply called 'Tiger-Proofing.' Meanwhile, tournaments are left with decisions about holes like No. 7 at Oakmont, which was already plenty difficult before the renovation. Back in 2016, when Dustin Johnson won here, only 44% of players reached the green in regulation, the lowest rate of any par-4 at the course. But when Hanse added another trap to a space that had previously been fairway, he wasn't simply concocting ways to make it meaner. Rather, as he and his team studied old layouts from the original Oakmont design, they noticed that bunkers like this one had once existed yet had disappeared over time. 'They asked you to make a really significant gamble, to go down the left side, make that carry over the cross bunker,' Hanse says. 'But the reward was dramatic.' That just left Hanse and his team figuring out how far away to place it, and every inch would have an enormous effect. A yard or two closer to the tee and most players wouldn't have much trouble clearing it. Any farther back and almost no one would consider trying to clear it—the seventh hole is also uphill and into the wind. And even farther away than that would feel like the bunker was specifically targeted at two players in particular. McIlroy and DeChambeau, who produced a U.S. Open for the ages last year, can bludgeon the ball unlike other elite pros. When McIlroy won the Masters in April, they ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in driving distance—and nobody else was within 13 yards of them. The compromise, Hanse found, is that while it's almost impossible to force every player into the same risk-reward decision on every hole, there are ways to ensure that each competitor is tested over the course of a single day. For instance, while DeChambeau and McIlroy can bomb it on No. 7, their power gives them a problem off the 15th tee when they could reach a bunker down the left side or a ditch down the right. 'You try to make sure throughout the round that you're not constantly favoring or penalizing one particular class of golfer,' Hanse says. The irony on the 7th is that any player who steers clear of the cross bunker is left with an entirely different headache. Hitting to the right gives competitors a blind shot with a worse angle to the green. Which means that playing it safe might actually be the bigger risk. Write to Andrew Beaton at
