Nicolai Hojgaard goes on birdie blitz to win DP World Tour Championship
Nicolai Hojgaard gets on birdie train to win DP World Tour's season finale as Rory McIlroy is crowned Race to Dubai champion.
Nicolai Hojgaard went on a back-nine birdie blitz to win to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Hojgaard, 22, fired a stunning 8-under 64 in the final round to overcome a three-stroke deficit at the start of the day to win by two strokes over Viktor Hovland (68), Tommy Fleetwood (68) and Matt Wallace (69).
The Dane made four birdies on his first 10 holes but trailed Fleetwood by a couple of shots when he bogeyed the 12th.
Hojgaard then jumped aboard the birdie train with five in a row from the 13th to surge into a two-stroke lead heading down the par-5 18th.
He would go on to par the last but it would end up being more than enough as those behind him could also only make pars.
Fleetwood held the lead for much of the final round so will no doubt be left to kick himself, especially after having made a bogey on the penultimate hole to all-but hand Hojgaard the title.
Wallace had vaulted into the 54-hole lead thanks to making birdie on every hole of the back nine on Saturday, but he also came up short despite a late surge on Sunday with three birdies on the final five holes.
Hovland continued his impressive run of form with a T2, marking a fourth consecutive top-five finish or better.
He will now bid to defend the Hero World Challenge at the end of the month, a tournament Tiger Woods confirmed he will be participating in.
Hojgaard, who played in his first European Ryder Cup team in Rome this season, has now won three times on the DP World Tour.
The victory in Dubai marks Hojgaard's first win in 22 months on the DP World Tour.
Hojgaard won his maiden title at the 2021 Italian Open before adding his second at the 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
He is now one victory behind his twin brother Rasmus Hojgaard, who agonisingly missed out on a PGA Tour card.
Thriston Lawrence, Matthieu Pavon and defending champion Jon Rahm finished T5 on 17-under par.
Pavon incredibly birdied the final four holes to earn his PGA Tour card.
Nicolai Højgaard wins the DP World Tour Championship
He birdies five of his final six holes to claim his first Rolex Series title!#DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/VA7XLaPOpu— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 19, 2023
Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy failed to ignite in his last round of 2023 with a 70.
McIlroy finished the week in T22 on 10-under.
Despite that, McIlroy etched his name on the Race to Dubai trophy for a fifth time in his career, moving him to within one of Seve Ballesteros and three of record-holder Colin Montgomerie.
Hojgaard's victory saw him move to second in the Race to Dubai standings, with Rahm in third.
McIlroy was using the brand new TaylorMade Qi10 LS Driver in Dubai for the first time in competition this week.
He also confirmed he was stepping away from the PGA Tour policy board in order, before then revealing the exact reasons why.
It is understood McIlroy and his family will soon be moving back to live in the UK.
DP World Tour Championship Final Leaderboard
-21 N Hojgaard (Den)
-19 V Hovland (Nor), T Fleetwood, M Wallace (Eng)
-17 J Rahm (Spa), T Lawrence (SA), M Pavon (Fra)
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