Home hero Rasmus Højgaard made a stunning start to his title defence as an opening 65 saw him hold a two-shot lead after day one of the Danish Golf Championship.
Højgaard made history last summer as he became the first Danish winner of this event, prevailing after a six-hole playoff against Nacho Elvira at HimmerLand.
The tournament has moved to Lübker Golf Resort for this year’s edition as it celebrates 10 years on the DP World Tour schedule, but the change of venue has not put Højgaard off his stride as he stormed to the top of the leaderboard.
Starting from the 10th tee, Højgaard made three birdies on his front nine on Thursday morning before adding an exceptional eagle, two more birdies and a single bogey after the turn to reach six under par.
With wet and windy conditions making things difficult for the afternoon starters, no one was able to catch Højgaard at the top, with Frederic LaCroix, Jannik de Bruyn and Sam Jones his nearest challengers on four under.
Four-time DP World Tour winner Højgaard kicked off his round with a close-range birdie at the 10th before picking up another shot from a similar distance on the 12th.
He then took advantage of the par-three 15th, tapping in after sending his tee-shot about a foot from the hole.
After producing a lengthy par save on the 17th to keep his card clean, Højgaard made an extraordinary eagle at the first to jump to five under.
Following a run of five pars, he curled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the 7th but gave the shot straight back with his first bogey of the day at the 8th.
Højgaard finished his round with a flourish, managing to get up and down from the thick grass next to a bunker for a closing birdie.
“I’m very pleased with it. It wasn’t easy out there but I managed to keep the ball in play for most of the round and rolled some good putts,” he said.
When asked about playing on home soil, Højgaard added: “I really enjoy it. I thought the support was quite good for a Thursday morning.
“I always enjoy playing at home. I’m looking forward to going home, having a nice dinner and sleeping in my own bed tonight.”
Scot Marc Warren made a spectacular ace at the par-three 7th, holing from 140 yards with a 50° wedge.
Photo: Octavio Passos/Getty Images
