SWING ANALYSIS
A backswing change has Nicolai Hojgaard in hot pursuit of twin brother Rasmus BY DAVE ALLEN A Call to Arms
FOR MOST OF HIS CAREER, Nicolai Hojgaard has had the upper hand on his younger
European Tour. “That’s why they’ve become so good. They train and do everything together. If you were a boxer and always fought your brother, you’re going to come out stronger.” The twins might have very simi- lar looks and stats, but their swings couldn’t be more different, Hansen says. They had separate coaches grow- ing up, so Rasmus’ swing is “long and smooth” while Nicolai’s is “short and explosive.” Although Nicolai’s is very effective at producing power – through August he averaged 319.6 yards off the tee (fifth on the PGA Tour) with a clubhead speed of
twin brother, Rasmus, in terms of ball speed and distance off the tee. When Rasmus edged past him in ball speed following this year’s Truist Champi- onship (186.88 miles per hour versus 186.70), big brother likely took note: “Oh, Nicolai won’t like that,” says their swing coach, fellow Danish profession- al golfer Soren Hansen. The two brothers are so competitive that “they would bet on which fly on the wall would leave first,” says Han- sen, who was a two-time winner on the
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATT TANNEHILL
48 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025
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