Nicolai Hojgaard mounts final-day charge to victory

Denmark’s 22-year-old Nicolai Hojgaard won the 2023 DP World Tour Championship by two shots in Dubai. Fellow Englishmen Matt Wallace and Tommy Fleetwood fell short in the final round.

Starting the day two shots off the lead, Hojgaard made nine birdies in a round of eight-under-par, leaving him 21 under par.

Viktor Hovland, Wallace, and Fleetwood finished two shots behind.

“It means a lot. It’s the sweetest one,” Hojgaard shared with Sky Sports.

“So much hard work has been put in over the last couple of years, and this year has been a really good one if I look back on it. The only thing that was missing was a win.”

“To get a win this week in this field has been unbelievable. This win is for my family, everything they’ve put in over the years.”

Hojgaard made five birdies in five holes from 13 to 17 at the Jumeirah Estates’ Earth course, securing his first Rolex Series win and third tour title.

A bogey on the 17th left Fleetwood needing an eagle on the last to win, however, he managed only a par to complete a round of 68, while Wallace went round in 69.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy tied for 22nd on 10 under but celebrated winning the Race to Dubai for the fifth time.

He told Sky Sports: “It’s great. Over the last 10 years, I’ve won eight season-long titles between here and America, so it shows my consistency.”

“It’s just about being clinical when I get to weeks where I have a chance to win.”

“Overall it has been another great year.”

Only two players – Colin Montgomerie (eight) and the late Seve Ballesteros (six) – have more Race to Dubai titles than McIlroy.

McIlroy said: “I’ve still got a little bit left in the tank. I’ve got a good eight to 10 years in me where I can play at the top level.”

“I’d like to think I’m going to try and get past Seve and Monty. It’s a goal of mine for the rest of my career to do something like that. It would mean a lot to me.”

The Netherlands’ Joost Luiten lost three clubs in a tree during the final round.

He threw his driver in frustration on the ninth hole and, in attempting to dislodge it from a branch, got two other clubs stuck.

Luiten played the rest of the hole with 11 clubs in his bag before a volunteer retrieved the clubs from the tree.

“That sums up my week nicely,” Luiten said.