Denmark’s Hojgaard hopeful of inspiring youngsters at Bahrain Championship

TDT | Manama                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Danish golfer Rasmus Hojgaard is hopeful of making a similar impact on the Kingdom’s youth to that he experienced when he was an aspiring player growing up.

The 22-year-old, who became the first-ever player born in the 2000s to win on the DP World Tour, is amongst a star-studded field that will be competing in the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies next week.

The event marks the return of the DP World Tour to Bahrain, and it will take place February 1 to 4 at the Royal Golf Club.

Hojgaard recalled when he and his twin brother Nicolai were inspired by professional golfers when they were younger, and are now hoping to return the favour to others, including youngsters in the Kingdom.

“It’s not that long ago Nicolai and I were fairly young and trying to become good golfers, and we wanted to see some players, so if we could have a bit of that role, that would be amazing,” Hojgaard said.

“This is what is so important about coming out here to the Middle East; we’ve got so many of these great golf courses in these different countries, for us to be there and potentially inspire some young golfers is awesome.

“We used to be one of those small kids, having a dream to become a pro golfer. If we could help the younger generation, even a little bit, that makes us happy.” Hojgaard, who is competing this week in the UAE at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, is looking forward to playing in a new country like Bahrain.

He has had a strong start so far to 2024, having finished tied-11th in both the Dubai Invitational and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic held earlier this month.

“I’ve never been to Bahrain before; I’m always very curious when I go to a new place,” he said. “Obviously, I heard from a few sources that it’s a good golf course we’re going to play, so I’m looking forward to going there. “It’s a very nice start to the season, having a lot of events early on to get a feel of where you are.

“For us players, once the season starts, we want to play a lot. It’s nice to have a schedule where you have a lot of events coming up.

Everyone has been prepped nicely going into the season, and everyone feels strong and that we can take on a long stretch, so I’m very excited about it.” Hojgaard is hoping to adapt quickly to the course at the Royal Golf Club to be able to make a strong challenge for the Bahrain title.

“For me, it’s more about getting a feel of the greens and the short game,” he said of what he needs to do to be best prepared for the tournament. “If you can figure that out really quick, you’re going to be all right. The long game is always very much the same.

For me, I’ll spend a little more time putting and chipping to figure out how to attack it.” Hojgaard became the third youngest winner in DP World Tour history when he secured his first title in just his fifth start in 2019, aged 18 years and 271 days old.

General admission to the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies is free of charge for spectators, while there are also a host of premium experiences available.

Tickets will include access to the tournament’s Village Square, which will boast a wealth of activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Little ones will be entertained in the Kids Zone with face painting, glitter stations and roaming entertainers, while live music from local bands, free golf lessons, delicious food and beverage options and an activation dedicated to Bahraini culture will ensure fans enjoy the offcourse action just as much as the thrilling golf on offer at Royal Golf Club.