Denmark teenager Nicholai Højgaard took the first round lead in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters’ first visit to Education City Golf Club, with a superb 64. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

DENMARK’S teenage prodigy Nicolai Højgaard produced a remarkable run of scoring on the back nine to take the first round lead at the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

Nicolai is looking to follow brother Rasmus into the winner’s circle – having announced himself on the professional stage when he finished second to Sergio Garcia at last season’s KLM Open.

Since then Nicholai – and identical twin brother Rasmus – whom he played with when the won the Eisenhower Trophy at the World Amateur Team Championship two years ago – have been blazing a trail on the European Tour.

Rasmus came through European Tour Qualifying School and then won the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on his European Tour debut in December, becoming the third youngest winner in its history,

Today, it was Nicolai’s time to shine at Education City Golf Club.

The 18-year-old turned in one-under but then made six birdies in eight holes from the 10th as he came home in 29 and hit the summit at seven-under after a 64.

Nicolai Højgaard said: “It was a good day. I started out slow – was playing really bad on the first four, five, six holes.

“I was still two-under at that point. But I was just playing it all over the place. My putter was just on fire today – that’s the difference.

“When I came to the back nine I was hitting fairways, hitting it close and rolling the putter,” said Nicholai, who also played in the Junior Ryder Cup in France, two years ago.

“You just hit the button and you keep going. I was hitting the fairway, I was hitting greens, I was getting close on the par fives.

“My putter was just the difference today. I was playing okay with the long game but I was just holing everything.

“The back nine is a bit more tricky off the tee so I would say it was more of a three-wood on the back nine, I was hitting a lot of three-woods and it was pretty good.”

Sullivan in chasing pack in Qatar

DUTCHMAN Joost Luiten was a shot back of leader Nicolai Højgaard and one ahead of a group of six players including Warwickshire’s Andy Sullivan, the 2016 Ryder Cup player, who won three times in 2015, but has not added to that success since.

Luiten said: “I am absolutely pleased. Seven birdies and one dropped shot, it wasn’t really needed that dropped shot coming out of the middle of the fairway.

“But on a golf course like this where it is really tricky on and around the greens, I was out of position, so sometimes you just have to accept the bogey. All in all, I am happy with my game.”

Luiten preferred not to spend too much time practising in the build-up because of strong winds in Doha, on Tuesday and Wednesday,

“I didn’t do a lot of practise because you can ask yourself if it really helps if you hit into a 50mph wind on the range?

“So I tried to stay away from it and played the course, get to know it a bit better and it was beautiful today.

“I think on the golf course if you are in the fairway you can be pretty aggressive to the undulated greens.

“I hit my irons and driver beautiful today which created a lot of chances and I rolled in a couple of putts.”

Spaniards Jorge Campillo and Carlos Pigem, Italy’s Lorenzo Gagli, Belgian Thomas Pieters, and another Dane in the shape of Jeff Winther all carded five-under par 66s to join Sullivan in a share of third place.

•For live scores in the second round of the Qatar Masters click here.

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The Denmark team that won the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy at the World Amateur Team Championship, held at Carton House, in Ireland. Picture by STEVE GIBBONS / USGA

THE 2020 World Amateur Team Championships are being moved from Hong Kong to Singapore because of continuing unrest in the former British colony, the IGF announced today.

The International Golf Federation announced the Eisenhower and Espirtio Santo Trophies – set to be played from October 12-24 – will now be played at Tanah Merah Country Club and Sentosa Golf Club on the same dates.

The IGF says the relocation from Hong Kong to Singapore is aimed at alleviating any concerns about the potential impact of the civil unrest in Hong Kong in recent months.

The Singapore Golf Association (SGA) will host both competitions. The Espirito Santo Trophy for women will be held from October 14-17 while the men will compete for the Eisenhower from October 21-24.

IGF executive director Antony Scanlon said: “Although the Hong Kong Golf Association (HKGA) expressed its willingness and ability to stage the World Amateur Team Championships, the IGF board determined that, to allay the members’ concerns and to remove uncertainty about the staging of the event, it was in the best interests of the championships to relocate them.

“We appreciate the SGA’s willingness to host the championships and its efforts in securing government and local support to enable this to happen on the same dates as scheduled.

“At the same time, we want to acknowledge and thank the HKGA for all the work it did and its understanding for the decision we have made.

“We look forward to the opportunity to hold the team championships in Hong Kong at a future date and will be inviting the HKGA to submit a proposal for staging the 2024 edition.”

America’s Espirtio Santo Trophy win at Ireland’s Carton House in 2018 was the USA’s first win in 20 years. Picture by STEVE GIBBONS / USPGA

Hong Kong await return to WATC

HONG Kong Golf Association president Kenneth Lam was looking forward to the World Amateur Team Championships (WATC) returning to the city for the first time 36 years.

said: “Having hosted the World Amateur Team Championships for the first time in 1984, we were very much looking forward to welcoming the world’s best amateur players once again to our city.

“We have a distinguished history of staging renowned international golfing events, so the decision to relocate the competitions is naturally disappointing.

“However, we wish our friends at the Singapore Golf Association the very best, and we are sure they will put on two fantastic weeks of first-rate competition.

“We eagerly anticipate the return of the World Amateur Team Championships to Hong Kong in the coming years.”

Tanah Merah CC’s Tampines Course, site of the final round for the women, hosted the first two Lexus Cups.

The former team competition between Asia and the Rest of the World was sanctioned by the LPGA.

Sentosa GC’s New Tanjong Course, which will host the final round of the men’s competition, is host to the HSBC Women’s World Championship, to be played end of this month.

SGA president Ross Tan said: “We are glad to have the World Amateur Team Championships hosted in Singapore for the first time.

“We also look forward to warmly welcome all the top amateur golfers and officials from around the world to our island for a great tournament ahead.

•SCOTLAND NAMES TEAM FOR WORLD AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

World Amateur Team Championship history

THE World Amateur Team Championships, which date back to 1958, are a biennial competition that includes up to 72 countries.

They compete in 72 holes of strokeplay competition. Each country fields two or three players with the two lowest scores counting per round.

The Eisenhower Trophy was first competed for at St Andrews in 1958 with the women’s Espirito Santo Trophy joining the World Amateur Team Championships in 1964.

Among the players to have featured in Eisenhower Trophy are Jack Nicklaus, Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Rickie Fowler.

In the Espirito Santo, the likes of Juli Inkster – on the winning team in 1980 and 1982 – Nancy Lopez, Patty Hurst all have winners’ medals.

In recent years Paula Creamer, Jessica Korda and Danielle Kang have gone on to appear in the Solheim Cup against Europe, having won on the LPGA Tour.

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