DP World Tour: Dynamic Dane Nicolai confident of Ras Al Khaimah double
02/09/2022 by Elena Reiter
Nicolai Hojgaard wants to claim back-to-back titles at the European Tour. Jordan Smith wants to recapture his 2016 victory.
Nicolai Hojgaard is confident to claim back-to-back titles on the European Tour. (Photo: Getty)
Nicolai Højgaard returns to Al Hamra Golf Club this week for the Ras Al Khaimah Classic and, following a stunning display which yielded a four-stroke victory last week, the big-hitting Dane is feeling confident he can claim back-to-back titles in the United Arab Emirates. “I’m feeling pretty good. It was a grind out there and I had to dig deep so it felt really good and I’m really looking forward to teeing up again on Thursday.”, Nicolai said.
Nicolai Hojgaard: One of golf’s brightest young stars
That impressive win at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship presented by Phoenix Capital only strengthened the 20-year-old’s reputation as one of golf’s brightest young stars – alongside his twin brother Rasmus.
Nicolai needs one more win to equal his sibling’s tally of three DP World Tour titles and, following a performance which – barring a stumble midway through the final round – was nigh on perfect, he feels he is in with a great chance of claiming wins in successive weeks. “The phone has been buzzing the last few days so I haven’t talked or texted anyone yet, I’m trying to get into tournament mode now and focus on the week ahead, and hopefully play some good golf again.” the Dane told the reporters.
“For me the most important part of this victory was that I was struggling quite a bit before coming here and then I struggled around 9 to 12. I had to dig deep, two shots behind with six to play. From there on I played some really good golf and that gave me some confidence. I think I can use that quite a bit in the future.”
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Smith aimes for another win at Al Hamra
Jordan Smith, meanwhile, has enjoyed a strong start to his 2022 campaign, with a top ten at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, a tie for 12th at the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic and then coming close to a second career victory last week – only to finish runner-up. “Really pleased with my start to the season. Been asked the question a few times, and there have obviously been some changes from previous years. I knew something needed to change and we had a look back at stats and performances and how I was feeling. We weren’t sure how it was going pan out this year but it’s worked out really well, I’m really happy with how everything is with the game and off-course.”, Smith said after the last weekend.
The Englishman is riding a wave of confidence, having won in Ras Al Khaimah on the Challenge Tour in 2016, and is hoping he can emerge victorious once again at Al Hamra. “Coming back I had good memories from 2016, obviously from winning here. So I came here with good memories and thoughts and I feel really comfortable around this course, don’t know what it is about it. It’s just nice and relaxed and a bit quieter than Dubai, I love the place.”
Text: DP World Tour
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