Sibling rivalry has proved a successful dynamic for the Hojgaard twins during the early stages of their blossoming golf careers.
They became the first brothers in DP World Tour history to win titles in successive weeks when Nicolai claimed the Italian Open in September 2021, the week after Rasmus won the European Masters. Before turning professional at the start of 2019, the Hojgaards combined to help Denmark win the amateur Eisenhower Trophy in 2018.
This week they go head to head at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, where Nicolai is the defending champion having won the inaugural event. But it is Rasmus who has made the early running at Al Hamra Golf Club after Thursday's first round, carding a 6-under par 66 to sit two shots behind leader Ryo Hisatsune. The Japanese player tops the leaderboard after a remarkable front nine, where he opened with sixth straight birdies.
Nicolai, meanwhile, is by no means out of contention after shooting a two-under round of 70.
"Probably not as good as it sounds, it wasn’t as pretty on the course as it was on the scorecard," Rasmus, 21, said following a bogey-free round. "I managed to get away with a few shots and holed a few good putts. Overall it was a very good day."
Rasmus's impressive round came as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury, sustained in a game of padel tennis. "It’s not 100 per cent cleared up, but I can manage it now," he said. "I’ve got full speed so I can play but have to be careful about not practicing too much. It’s getting better day by day."
Edoardo Molinari knows a thing or two about brotherly competition on the golf course, being the older sibling of former Open champion Francesco, and the 41-year-old Italian joins Rasmus and Englishman Matthew Baldwin in the group behind Hisatsune.
Molinari, a three-time winner on the DP World Tour, started the Middle East swing well with a tied-17th place at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship but missed the cut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
"Today I made some putts for a change," said Edoardo, who carded seven birdies and one bogey. "I feel like I’ve been playing well the last couple of weeks, especially last week I hit the ball well but just couldn’t read the greens. This week so far it seems better.
"The game is improving. I’m getting older but I’m getting better. I go week by week. It’s going to be a long year with the Ryder Cup and I would like to play a few more Majors. If I sneak in a win or two, that would be nice."
Also in contention is Ryan Fox – the last player to win a DP World Tour title at Al Hamra after clinching an emphatic five-shot victory last year at the one-off RAK Classic, staged to replace the postponed Qatar Masters.
The New Zealander, one shot further back, arrived in Ras Al Khaimah struggling with an illness that almost forced him to withdraw from the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic on Monday. But he found six birdies and a single bogey to live up to his pre-tournament favourite tag.
"I’m still a bit lethargic but I've managed my energy levels pretty well this week," Fox, 36, said. "Hopefully by tomorrow or Saturday I’ll be feeling 100 per cent again.
"It was relatively easy. I felt like there were a lot of good shots, holed some putts. Probably left a few shots out there on the greens but also made some birdies out of the rough which is a bit of a bonus."
